Pokémon Rising: Supernova (SYOC)
by Daichi Yamazaki
Summary: A young couple of friends have now started their journey along the amazing sceneries of the Johto region, aiming to be the best trainers they can be. Will they endure all the hardships they'll have to face in order to become the very best and finally achieve their dreams? Meet Shawn and Mallory, and witness the birth of a star. (SYOC Closed)
1. Prologue: Setting Sail (and the Cast)

**_Below are all the people accepted into the story! All vacant spots are still open for the taking, if you so wish to submit a character! Aside from the assigned spots, I may introduce other recurring characters, so if your OC's name isn't here, there might be a chance that they still make it in._**

 ** _If you have submitted an OC and it isn't on the list yet even though there has been an update, don't worry! They have a chance at getting in nonetheless, it just means I'm still debating whether or not to include them and where to do so. Happy writing!_**

 _ **EDIT: March 7th - I have accepted a new member to the main party, a new gym leader and two rivals as of right now. If you're curious on what I'm needing the most, that'd be anything but gym challengers/trainers. That means coordinators, researchers, singers/idols, rangers, gym leaders and the like will have more of a chance at winning a spot on the final cast!**_

 _ **EDIT: March 13th - The cast is almost full! We have one spot left in the main party, three gym leaders and however many rivals and antagonists I decide to weave into the adventure left! I'm not accepting gym challengers into the rivals anymore, so if you submit any more of those, they'll be pushed aside and, if they were to enter the story, it would be as a minor character. As far as rivals ago, I'd like to see some more coordinators and battlers in the mix - but other classes like researchers, photographers, idols, dancers and rangers are welcome too! I'm pushing the new rival limit to 8 people, and that'll be the final number. That means, I'm in need of three more gym leaders and four other characters!**_

 _ **EDIT: March 23rd - We're reaching the final stretch here! I'm looking for anything but a gym challenger to fill in the final rival/villain spot, and the taken Gym Leader types are Fire, Psychic, Dragon, Ice, Poison, Water and Fairy (the only Gym up for grabs is Goldenrod's!). When I have my full roster, the story will go into full swing, so get submitting as soon as you can. Happy writing!**_

 _ **EDIT: March 27th - The SYOC is now officially closed! Thank you to everyone who submitted for taking interest in the story. The full cast (story-relevant characters only) is below!  
**_

 _ **EDIT: June 22nd - As I mentioned last update, the SYOC has been reopened and you can submit new E4 members for the story, as well as a new Johto League champion! Right now, three of the four E4 spots have been filled, which leaves the Champion and the final E4 member to go. Submit away!**_

* * *

 _ **Main Party (4/4)**_

 _ **1.** Shawn Hargrove, a coordinator from Veilstone City, Sinnoh_  
 _ **2.** Mallory Pixiehale, a trainer from Floaroma Town, Sinnoh_  
 _ **3.** Sarah Haze, a wandering battler from Celadon City, Kanto_  
 _ **4.** Mikala Ka'uhane, a photographer from Tapu Village, Alola_

 _ **Gym Leaders (8/8)**_

 _ **1.** Dirk Hargrove, the Ecruteak City's Gym Leader_  
 _ **2.** Richter Dustin, the Cherrygrove City's Gym Leader  
_ ** _3._** _The Cherry Blossom's Maiden , the Azalea Town's Gym Leader_ _  
_ _ **4.** __Adagio Ddraig , the Blackthorn City's Gym Leader_ _  
_ _ **5.** __Jokull Stein , the Olivine City's Gym Leader  
_ _ **6.** Zack Waver, the Mahogany Town's Gym Leader **  
**_ _ **7.** Alistair Esprit, the Cianwood City's Gym Leader **  
**_ _ **8.** Hokulani Ka'aukai, the Goldenrod City's Gym Leader_

 _ **Elite Four + Champion (3/5)**_

 _ **1.** Hajime Nanbu (Elite Four)_  
 _ **2.** Simon Watts (Elite Four)_  
 _ **3.** Emily Orion (Elite Four)_  
 ** _4._**  
 _ **5.** _

_**Rivals / Villains (8/8)**_

 _ **1.**_ _Kaleaf Humes_  
 _ **2.**_ _Alto Riversong_  
 _ **3.** Kidra Silvery_  
 _ **4.** Dean Yukimura_  
 _ **5.** Blake Casario **  
**_ _ **6.** William Lynton **  
7.** Kiku Nanbu **  
8.** Angelus Hendrix_

* * *

 **PROLOGUE: _Setting Sail_**

* * *

 _~ Pastoria City, Harbor ~_

"Seeing you leave makes your momma proud, you know?" the fair-skinned lady's hair flew in the sea breeze as she looked down at her infant, now on his way to leave the region and pursue a dream of his. "But it brings back memories... I wish you'd stay a child forever, sometimes." she confessed, smiling sadly and combing a blond lock behind her ear.

The younger boy scratched his head with a grin, feeling the scruff growing from his scalp. "Sheesh, mom, could you be any sappier?" he joked. "I'm on my way to adventure! Plus, it's not like I'll be alone, and I'll keep in touch! Think of it as... an extended field trip. With Mallory!"

The older woman shook her head and eyed her son reassuringly. "Oh, Shawn, you never do change. Even now, you're so enthusiastic of parting ways with Sinnoh... I wish you'd start your journey here."

"You know why I'm leaving, mom!" Shawn said excitedly, his grin growing more intense.

"Yes, yes." the mother asserted with two slight nods. "I know you miss your father. I called him a few minutes ago, he's going to pick you and Mallory up at the Olivine City Pokémon Center, and take you back to Ecruteak."

Shawn turned to the sea and took a good sniff, letting the oceanic scents fill his very soul. "Ahhh, I could get used to this smell! Veilstone is like, pollution central." he sassed. "But I'll miss it... Ecruteak is such an ancient city, it probably smells musty and old, _all_ the time!"

"Is that how you talk about your new home, Shawn Hargrove!?" his mom jokingly warned him with an accusatory finger. "I'm sure you and Amber will love it. Mallory and her pokémon should enjoy staying there as well."

A girlish scoff turned both their heads to the harbor's main entrance, where a petite girl with purple shoulder-length hair and dark-red eyes stood, fanning herself with a traditional Ecruteakian paper fan. "Who, me?" Mallory retorted playfully. "Like hell I'm gonna stay there! I'll bolt out the door first chance I get! The Pokémon League challenge waits for no man - or woman, for that matter!"

"I was wondering where you'd been..."

Mallory giggled and approached the heartwarming family reunion. "Sorry, Ms. Amelia! I had to check when our boat departed!" she cheered. "Speaking of which, we're ten minutes from boarding... shouldn't we hurry inside?"

Shawn's mother let out a heavy sigh and looked at the two youngsters, both in their teens. "Shawn, Mallory, I hope you have loads of fun, you hear me? But always be safe, and keep in touch with your friends and family regularly, whenever possible. Don't forget to wash your teeth, have three meals per day, look both sides before crossing, never bother wild pokémon, always have medicine handy, nev-"

"Mom!" Shawn retorted with a loud laughter at his mother's overprotection. "We're fifteen, now! Don't you have the least bit of faith in us?"

"I trust Mallory alright." she responded with a tone of mockery towards herself and her son. "I'm sorry for being so overbearing... I just want you to know I love you a lot, Shawn. Don't let me down, you hear?"

The young boy acted shocked at his mother's words. "Me? Let you down? As if! I'll be the best coordinator in Johto before you know it! And when that happens, I'm running straight back here to climb the contest ladder in Sinnoh as well!"

"Promise?"

"Promise!" he cheerfully replied, with an emphasizing thumbs-up, a wink and a smirk. "We'll have to go, mom!" he hugged the older lady once more and entered the Pastoria Harbor in a rush, leaving Mallory and his mother behind.

Amelia shook her head and looked at the younger girl with sympathy. "Take good care of him, okay?"

"I will, Ms. Amelia, I will!" Mallory reassured. "I'll be going too, now... thanks for everything!" she thanked the woman who had sheltered her for the past few days of preparation pre-trip and hurried off behind her friend, leaving a distraught, bittersweet mother behind, watching her son grow up with moistening eyes.

"Ah, kids grow up so fast nowadays..." she sighed before wandering off to the harbor platform, waiting to see the cruise depart.

* * *

 _~ Olivine City, Harbor ~_

A familiar sea breeze greeted the two youngsters as they left the boat, with two extra friends outside to say 'hi' to their new homeland. "Check this place out, Amber!" Shawn gasped as he was greeted by a beach of white sand that not only rivaled, but greatly surpassed Pastoria's. The fox pokémon, resting on top of her trainer's head, shook her fur and stretched her tails before widening her vision to see all that surrounded them. Unfamiliar territory.

"Pix!" she cheered with a high-pitched squeal and turned her neck back and forth, from the sand on the right, to the more industrialized, civilised half of the city on the left. Her small mouth was wide open with a gaping smile as her blue eyes shone in the sunset of the summer evening.

Mallory was quick to follow as she stared at the new city in awe, impressed by the new scenery. "Ooooh, hell yeah!" she chanted, pumping her right fist in the air. "This place is getting me so pumped! We're gonna rock this place, big time!"

"Shroom, shroom!" the small mushroom-like pokémon waddled forward, hopping around with his stubby little legs and his triangular mouth formed a big grin. Infatuated by the beach to the right, he stormed over there.

"Shroomish!" Mallory called before running after her partner, grabbing the slow grass-type with both hands before snuggling it close to her. "Can't have you running off now! I'm gonna need you! With you by my side, we'll be crowned the best trainer and pokémon in Johto in no time!"

The small pokémon was down as his sprint had been interrupted but quickly perked up with his trainer's enthusiasm. "Shroom!" he smiled.

Shawn and Amber, the Vulpix, paced over to the grass-type and his trainer at a slow speed, and chuckled. "You never change, do you?" The boy mocked, rubbing his partner's red fur. "Let's get to the Center, before sundown... my dad's probably waiting for us there! Last one getting there's a rotten Exeggcute!" the boy challenged before running off at a blinding pace, his childhood friend and partner pokémon following suit.

"Hey, wait up!" Mallory called as she chased down the brunette boy. "Exeggcute are seeeeeeeds!"

* * *

 _~ Olivine City, Pokémon Center ~_

As Shawn entered the room with his red-tinted pokémon companion, Mallory huffed and puffed her last steps to the end, being metaphorically stepped on by her friend's superior speed. "You had... an unfair... advantage..." she complained in between gasps for air, making the boy chuckle.

"Yeah, right, Mal!" he mocked his friend, referring to her by the nickname she'd had for a long time. Unlike the petite girl, Shawn's posture was unchanged and he wasn't sweating or panting in the least, almost as if he hadn't ran. "I had two or three seconds, which is _way_ less than you took to get here!"

"Nuh-uh!" the purple-haired girl retorted with puffed cheeks. "You began earlier than me, which is against the rules!"

"We didn't set any rules, though!"

"Who says?"

"I do!"

While the two friends kept juggling the argument back and forth, Amber and Shroomish played around each other as they looked at other pokémon and trainers who had gathered in the center. Ranging from fully-evolved to baby pokémon, the full spectrum was out and about, resting or enjoying themselves along with the humans they called trainers. All different species, colors and types of pokémon peppered the medical center.

"Vul, pix!" Amber purred as she saw another Vulpix in the distance, who seemed not to notice. Unfazed, the fox pokémon kept looking around for more interesting things, lost in her own world and Shroomish just gazed at her awkwardly with a poker face. A heavy pair of footsteps approached the two pokémon and suddenly, the fox was picked off the ground, making her squeal in fear.

"Amber!" Shawn refrained from badgering Mallory any longer and turned around to answer his pokémon's pleas, but was pleasantly surprised to see who was holding her. "D-Dad!" he called, hugging the tall brunette man tightly. His honey yellow eyes were just like Shawn's - which is to be expected as they are father and son.

The muscular, broad-shouldered adult looked down at his son and smiled, rubbing his rough hand over the child's head. "Shawny!" he called, making the boy wince as he heard the name aloud. "You've grown so much, my boy! Videochatting really doesn't make you justice!"

Mallory tried to hold back a laugh by sinking her teeth into the skin of her bottom lip, hiding how funny she found the boy's dad's nickname. "H-Hello, Mr. Dirk! Long time no see."

"It can't be... Mallory?" the man gasped in shock. "You've grown even more! You're becoming a fine young woman, aren't you!"

"Hehe, if you say so, Mr. Dirk!" Mallory scratched the bridge of her nose, and licked her lips before puffing her chest out with pride. "I'm super pumped to see Ecruteak and go on an adventure!"

The older man sighed and laughed. "Ah, youth these days. You just arrived and you're already raring to leave. I wish I had your motivation at times." he complained. "Ack, I sound like an old man now!" he joked, earning a laugh out of Shawn and Mallory, as well as their pokémon. "That being said, since you're so keen on getting out of here... what do you say we hit the road?"

Dirk's stubble wasn't nearly as thick enough to hide the fatherly grin he boasted as he watched Shawn and Mallory excitedly leave the Center, quickly searching for the man's vehicle. Shawn recognized it wherever - a red convertible with a Typhlosion emblazoned on the back, and a Houndoom on each side door stood out from the crowd. "Daaaaaad?" Shawn called. "Where's the car?"

"Oh we're not driving that thing! I walked here! Ecruteak is just around the corner, you know?"

Mallory's head turned quickly and her expression changed to an impatient pout before she stomped her foot and tapped it repeatedly. "Huuuuuh?" she crossed her arms. "I can't believe it! We have to walk!? That's gonna take forever!"

"Now, now, Mallory, patience is key to pokémon battles! Rushing things only makes them easy to break apart. That goes for strategies as well, of course."

"Huh." she stopped acting childishly and pondered maturely about the man's words. Coming from a Johto League official Gym Leader, every word was important. "Alright! Let's patiently hurry over to Ecruteak then!"

Dirk stopped for a minute before tilting his head in confusion at the young girl's paradox, but eventually shrugged and laughed it off as he approached the teenagers. "Let's go, this way, kids. We've got a lot to catch up on."

* * *

 **~ PROLOGUE: END ~**

* * *

 **New Characters:**

 _ **Shawn Hargrove and Amber**_ _, submitted by me!_ _ **  
**_ _ **Mallory Pixiehale and Shroomish** , submitted by me!  
_ _ **Amelia and Dirk Hargrove**_ _, submitted by me!_

* * *

 **A/N:** **That marks the beggining of this new story, following Shawn and Mallory through their Johto journey! As you probably guessed - hell, it's probably why you're here in the first place - this is indeed a SYOC! I'll be looking for both new trainers around Shawn's age to take part in his journey, be it as a friend and party member, as a rival or as a recurring character! I'll also be recruiting new Gym Leaders into Johto's eight gyms, save for Ecruteak's gym which is now Dirk's. The form for this SYOC is in my profile, so you can copy and paste it onto a PM and send me your submissions!**

 **That being said, I don't have much else to say. I hope you enjoy Shawn and Mal as characters! See you next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Wandering Battler

**CHAPTER 1: The Wandering Battler**

* * *

 _~ Ecruteak City, Pokémon Center ~_

Shawn, along with his father and Mallory, had treaded a long way from the port city of Olivine before he reached the next stop on his new journey - the historical Ecruteak City, Dirk's home and base of operations ever since he was invited to become the new Gym Leader all those years ago. A visit to the Pokémon Center made for an excelent excuse for the youngsters to rest, along with the exhausted Amber and Shroomish who were tagging along.

Amber looked around the new Center, noticing a distinctively different smell - an old, musty, but surprisingly pleasant smell permeated the air, typical of historical landmarks like Ecruteak City. In the distance, the young fox pokémon noticed a young girl, around her trainer's age, and grinned, purring at the innocent, joyful aura that she emanated. "Huh? Is everything alright with Amber, Shawn?" Dirk asked in his roughest, gravelliest voice.

The young coordinator-to-be looked around to find his Vulpix crying out to the girl, who had a red dog-like pokémon on her lap, and was petting it cheerfully, a great smile on both their faces. "Ah, maybe she's taken a liking to that girl over there. Amber's got a good sixth sense when it comes to knowing if people are good or bad!"

"I see..." Dirk concluded. "She's really come a long way since she hatched, hasn't she?" he reminisced, reminding himself of the morning he went to the Day Care to fetch his Ninetales and - much to his surprise, a new egg.

"Excuse me." Mallory intervened, making both boys turn to her. "Can't we rest for a while? I'm beat!"

Shawn snickered playfully at the girl's tiredness. "You sure tire out fast for someone who was so pumped a few minutes ago, Mal!" he mocked, making the purple-haired girl puff her cheeks and turn around.

"Hmph!" she faked hurt and she knelt down and picked up her Shroomish. "At least you won't be mean to me, right Shroomish?" she praised the young grass-type before being pelted with an unknown powder, coming from the top of his head. With a huge sneeze, she dropped the mushroom pokémon on the ground with a thud and a loud 'ACHOO!' ran through the Center, quickly attracting a bit of attention from surrounding trainers, who eventually returned to what they were doing.

"Ha!" Shawn pointed at his friend jokingly and laughed. "Even Shroomish is on my side!"

"Shrooooooom..." he apologized as he jumped back on his feet, waddling over to caress his trainer's ankle with his cheek. "Shroom, mish shroom..."

Mallory scratched her nose and, after making sure she wouldn't sneeze again, petted Shroomish on the head with a grin. "It's fine, Shroomish, don't worry." she comforted her partner, before turning around. "Now, can we go to the counter? I heard they hand out badge cases to start-up trainers like me!"

"And ribbon cases from coordinators like me!" Shawn added.

"Yes, yes, you're both correct." Dirk asserted, taking them both to a small queue in front of a pink-haired lady behind the counter - the fabled Nurse Joy of the Johto region.

Her pink hair and white gown were an exact copy of the ones in Veilstone City and Floaroma Town, or so the youngsters thought, and the unmarred pale skin and eyes were unmistakably similar to Sinnoh's many nurses, much to Shawn's surprise.

"Next up, please!" a joyful tone rose above the previous 'thank you, come again' and called out to the group, making Mallory rush over the few inches that separated her from the wooden counter and push herself onto said counter, closing in on a frightened nurse. "U-Uh, excuse me, is everything fine, miss?"

Before she could muster any other thought, Mallory approached the now-much-more-composed nurse further and proceeded to get down to business. "Hello, miss nurse Joy, miss! I came over here to receive my Johto League official badge case!" she projected her conviction and enthusiasm with every syllable, making the nurse on the other end of the counter smile ever so slightly.

"And I want a contest ribbon case, if you'd please!" Shawn added his own request, at a much more peaceful and polite speed, but with every bit of excitement Mallory expressed.

"Ah, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait a moment, miss." Nurse Joy frowned, looking directly into Mallory's eyes. "We have already handed over our last badge case. The next batch of them arrives tomor-"

"Tomorrow!?" Mallory yelled, emotional tears pooling in front of her eyes. "But I... I need to get going quick! Like, now!" she kept insisting, as Nurse Joy only produced one case from under the counter, handing it to Shawn with a disappointed look on her face. "Please, miss, you must have something lying around in there!" she ranted, trying to peek under the desk, torso fully rested on the wooden desk that walled her from the pink-haired lady.

Her eyes darted over from corner to corner, trying to recognize the familiar red velvet case design, with a pristinely clean glass pane on the lid, but failing to do so. "Miss, please, calm down. You may stay at the Center, free of charge, while you wait for the next replacement." Nurse Joy suggested, but Mallory retorted with a sad expression, targeting Dirk.

Surely, as a region-renowned Gym Leader, he would be able to find an alternative. Or so she hoped.

"Thank you, nurse Joy. Sorry for troubling you, we'll be back tomorrow then." he smiled heartily and walked away from the line with an enthusiastic Shawn, appreciating the blue opaqueness on his brand-new ribbon case. As he opened it, a dusty scent made him flinch - it was the scent of adventure he had longed for.

Mallory's jaw hit the ground as she stomped over to the two males. "Mr. Dirk! Why didn't you help me?"

"Come on, Mallory." he ruffled the girl's hair and smiled. "Remember what I said before leaving Olivine? Patience is key. This is a test for you."

"Ok, sure, but what are we supposed to do until tomorrow morning? It's so early!" she complained, looking at her customized Pokétch clock app with an annoyed expression on her face.

It wasn't until Shawn crashed into something that Mallory and Dirk noticed he had been walking off, completely distracted by his new addition. The two youngsters took the time to look at each other and the boy blushed in embarassment. "Ah, s-sorry." he apologized for his distraction, eyeing the girl's blue eyes.

The girl chuckled and flipped her platinum blond ponytail off her shoulder. "That's fine!" she dismissed politely. "Did you need anything?"

"N-No, sorry!" the brunette boy apologized once again and looked behind him.

"Hey, isn't this that Growlithe girl?" Mallory thought aloud, scratching her cheek, and Amber's cheerful reaction was all the reassuring she needed. "Yeah, it is! Hey there, I'm Mallory, and this is Shawn!"

The girl tilted her head and her blue eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. It's not everyday some random pair of strangers introduces themselves to you on a whim, after all. "I wasn't expecting anyone to know me!" she joked. "I'm Sarah, a soon-to-be battling extraordinaire! This is First, my Growlithe."

"F-First?" Shawn repeated, finding the nickname odd, but the fire-type's growls made him flinch into silence. "G-Great name!"

"That's fine." she drew out the 'i' and chuckled. "I'm used to people finding his name a bit off! But it has a special meaning to me, so I don't really care."

Dirk approached the trio. "Making friends already, huh?" he chimed in. "Hello there, I'm Dirk. Shawn's father and leader of the local Gym."

"Oh!" Sarah's eyes shone brightly. "Is that really so!? You'll be hosting tonight's tournament, right?"

Mallory and Shawn both looked at the older man with confusion. "Tournament?" Shawn inquired.

"We didn't know anything about a tournament..." Mallory added, trying to remember any such topic during the trip from Olivine.

"Tonight's the big Ecruteak Tournament!" Sarah enthused. "You might not have heard of it... but the basic gist of it is that it's a televised championship where anyone can participate in a battle! There are a bunch of prizes for the winners, and fame is guaranteed!"

"You want to be famous, then?" Shawn asked.

"Damn right I do!" Sarah replied excitedly. "Battling is my jam, and I want everyone to see how good I am at it! And I'll get to the top through hard work and determination alone."

Dirk smiled at the young girl and shook his head. "Ah, youth..."

"Mr. Dirk!" the battler called. "Why don't you take them to the tournament? I'm sure they'll enjoy it!"

"Sure!" Mallory agreed to it instinctively, not even waiting for Dirk's answer. Shawn was a bit more reluctant to participate, but after considering the advantages of doing so, he decided it would be a waste to let this opportunity slip. "And Shawn's coming as well! It'll be great training!" she asserted, signing her friend in before his say-so, something she was more than used to doing.

"That's that, then!" Sarah smiled. "I'll be sure to see you there! For now, me and First have to get going to the inn and prepare, though. Would you like to meet up somewhere later tonight?"

Dirk stepped forward with a sugesstion. "I can drop both of them off right at the Dance Theatre." he offered. "The tournament will be held there, so it'll be the most convenient spot for you three."

"It's settled!" Mallory chanted. "Where can we sign up?" she asked impulsively, her eyes twinkling with the scent of a challenge approaching before her journey began. Sarah looked at the younger girl with a sympathetic smile and shook her head. "Tonight at the theater?" she repeated, out of habit.

"Yeah!" the teenager emphasized. "You can sign up whenever. It's at the theatre entrance, so we can all do it together!"

Shawn scratched his uncovered head skin and looked to his right, trying to think of an explanation for his question. "But wait. You haven't even signed up yet? What if there aren't any more spots?"

"Haha, chill! I'm pretty sure there'll be more than enough vacant spots for us." she smiled, showing Shawn a comforting thumbs-up before grabbing First, holding the warm dog-like creature in her arms. "I'll be going then. Meet me at the theatre entrance tonight at... 6h45?"

"Sure thing." Shawn agreed, overshadowed by Mallory's louder agreement. "When does the tournament start?"

"7h15." Sarah responded, turning on her heels and back-walking her way to the door. "I'll see you there?"

The two youngsters nodded, being replied to by a gleeful smile from their new acquaintance as she turned around and left the facility, Shawn noticing a few pokéballs peeking outside of a burlap sack she hung from her shoulder. He hadn't noticed until now, but her dark grey jacket was, in fact, a hoodie.

"Would you look at that!" Dirk laughed, patting the two teenagers' shoulders. "Making friends already?"

"Damn straight, Mr. Dirk!" Mallory responded.

"That's a big reason why we're going on this trip, dad, duh!" Shawn sassed, with a child-like happiness to his voice, like a kid before his birthday. The older man hadn't seen his son so excited in a while, so it was only natural for his chest to warm up and a genuine smile to form around his cheeks. "Now, let's go! We have an appointment now, and we can't be late!" Shawn ran off towards the door, with Dirk walking at a quick pace behind him.

Mallory was left alone to think. "H-Hey! M-My badge case!" she shouted in a fit of spoiledness before chasing after the others.

* * *

 _~ Ecruteak City, Ecruteak Dance Theater ~_

Shawn squealed with excitement as the queue in front of him dimmed more and more, his small steps putting him closer to a new challenge that awaited him. "I can tell you're pretty excited, huh? Is this your first time battling?"

"Live, yes." he responded to the older girl. "Both of us."

"We don't have battles too often, either." Mallory pointed out, but quickly retracted her statement, defending her pride. "But what we lack in battle experience, we have in passion and determination!" she added.

Sarah threw Mallory a small laugh and smiled. "Then I guess we're kind of in the same league! I'm starting a journey myself."

"You too!?" the two friends responded, almost in perfect unison - proof that they had spent a little too much time together back in Trainer School.

"Yeah!" she repeated, ultimately replying to a rethorical question. "I started a week ago or so. Took the train from Saffron all the way to Goldenrod, and then walked here!"

The buzzcut boy gasped in surprise. "So you're from Kanto, then?" he asked, curiously. "That's so cool! Is it true there's a haunted town there? With a graveyard and such!?" he kept questioning, his love for the unknown and the paranormal getting the better of him.

"That'd be Lavender Town, alright." Sarah replied. "I'm not sure about how many of the rumors are true, though. I'm not from there, I come from Celadon City, more to the west."

"Celadon? That's where the biggest department store in the region is!" Mallory's girliness and love of shopping showed as well. "I'm so jealous! No wonder you dress so nicely!"

Sarah eyed her outfit once again. A zipped dark grey hoodie, ripped jeans and her old tennis shoes is hardly what she'd call 'so nicely', but less is more to Mallory, she thought. "Thanks! And yes, that's the one."

"Next up, please!" a familiar tone of voice rose as the person in front of them left the queue, an entrance slip in their hand and a smile on their face. Mallory and Sarah stepped forward, thanks to the gentlemanly Shawn, who recognized the lady behind the desk's classic design.

"Nurse Joy!" Shawn called instinctively, as a sign of surprise. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Center? Or... are you not the same one?"

The pink-haired lady giggled with a feminine, yet mature tone of voice. "I'm afraid not, young boy. I'm from Mahogany Town, to the east. I have my subordinates taking care of the place for the duration of tonight's events. How many of you are entering the competition?"

"Me!" "Me!" "Me too!" Sarah and Mallory chuckled as the excitement made them react simultaneously, Shawn close behind.

The white-clad woman took three slips and a pen and started writing away. "Name?"

"Sarah Haze." she introduced herself, Mallory and Shawn being handed their entrance tickets shortly after giving their own names, and showing their trainer ID cards in order to confirm their identities.

Shawn held his slip in his right hand, flapping it slightly. The red piece of paper had several orange spots that would later be stamped - according to the black typing on the lower right corner, instructing any who read of the competition's rules. One on one single battles with no restrictions.

"No restrictions?" Mallory read aloud. "Sweeeeet, what if we go up against something really cool like a Garchomp!?"

The brunette's eyes widened and he shook his head, pouting. "Garchomps are way too strong for Shroomish to take on, Mal, are you nuts?" he warned, fearing the worst for the poor Grass-type's health. "I hope we get something easy to win against like a Sunkern or something like that!"

"Shawn Hargrove." the purple-haired girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Are you serious? You're such a wimp! Where's your sense of adventure!? Where's your thirst for challenge!?"

"Where's your sanity?" Shawn sassed back, rolling his eyes to mimic her. "C'mon, at least be concerned about Shroomish's health!"

"Shawn's got a point, Mallory..." Sarah agreed, making the soon-to-be gym challenger frown. "Not to say you shouldn't enjoy challenges, but take it easy! We're all begginners after all. Determined begginners, sure, but let's not bite more than we can chew!"

Her excitement being ever so slightly dragged down, Mallory deflated with an over-the-top dramatic sigh and slumped over. "Suuuuure..."

"Let's go to the back already." an older lady spoke behind Shawn, who caught the conversation by coincidence, eyeing the couple go through an arch draped over by red curtains which the male pushed aside for them to pass through.

"Hey, shouldn't we get going as well?" Mallory suggested. "I'm dying to see the field!"

* * *

The lights were all on the wooden stage, a beige drape with japanese symbols and depicting of various women in kimono dancing away at a glorious 'rainbow-coloured light bird' as a distinctively foreign child next to the spectating Sarah called it. The tough man Shawn knew so well ascended the steps to the stage, being met with thunderous applause and screams.

"Hello, everyone!" Dirk waved at the participants. "We are now beginning the Ecruteak Tournament! Thank you all for coming!" More cheers came from the erupting crowd. "First, we will present our judges. Up first, we have Mahogany Town's very own Nurse Joy!"

Nurse Joy bowed, before once again standing firmly straight in front of the leftmost chair, her hair a little more lustruous than before. Distracted, Sarah peeked at the judge's desk, noticing it was adorned with a white tablecloth, a double-sided clock and three neat piles of white paper, each cleanly put below a blue pen.

"Secondly, we have a young newbie in judging, but a researching extraordinaire... Professor Horace Elm!"

The titular Pokémon Professor of the Johto region made himself see with the attention he was giving, and he mouthed a quick thank you before retreating back a step, bumping into the chair clumsily on the way. Out of the corner of his eye, Shawn noticed a girl with wavy, black hair eyeing the professor carefully, almost like she a great fan of his. Her blue eyes glimmered in the lighting of the arena.

"And last but not least, there's Ecruteak City's Gym Leader, Dirk Hargrove, me!" Dirk finally introduced himself, and walked over to the rightmost chair - the vacant one - with the microphone in hand. "Every single one of your names has been collected and put into our special computer system, which will make for a foolproof way of making sure everyone has someone to battle!"

Cheers and applause eventually started to die down, as Shawn and Sarah started clapping a bit less and less enthusiastically, Mallory keeping her initial energy. "Hello everyone!" the nurse voiced. "Welcome to the Tournament. We will now announce the people who'll battle first!" A tense silence filled the air as the trio started looking around aimlessly, trying to pinpoint someone who they'd be interested in fighting against. "Any and all who are interested in seeing the matches later may do so from the main hall's monitor, in between matches! Now... without further ado, here are the pairings for this tournament!"

A light projected itself onto the clean farthest wall and, slowly but surely, an image started forming. A light blue screen displaying various white names on darker blue background started popping up, pairing by pairing, and Shawn, Mallory and Sarah waited in anticipation as their names neglected to show up for the first few rows of text. Until-

"Yes! Battle number thirteen!" Sarah sighed with relief, trying to recognize the other person's name. "Who's that?" she failed, and asked for her new friends' help, voices muffled by the surrounding chattering. "Kydra?" she tried to pronounce the name on-screen, but failed to do so, she thought.

"Kydra, Keedra, Kidrah?" Shawn attempted to help, but to no avail, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Hey, that's me! Shawn Hargrove! That's me! Oh, Arceus, wh-what do I do now!?"

Sarah laughed and held the boy's shoulder, standing on her toes to peek above the people's heads. "Now you battle! Where are you!?"

"Second column, fifth row! Battle twenty-one, against... who is that? Humes?" Shawn tilted his head and tried to look around for any 'Humes'-looking people, although a bit unsure of what a Humes-looking person even was. "Weird name." he commented, keeping up his search.

Mallory was oddly silent, waiting for her name to pop up among the last few, only to be the very last one on the board. "Just my luck." she sighed. "I'm off doing a battle against someone nameless!"

"Nameless?" Sarah's enthusiasm put itself on pause as her curiosity piqued, and she tried to make out who 'Code Name: Shi' was. "Who would try and get into the tournament using an alias?" she questioned herself, before another question popped up. "More importantly, why did the judges accept them?"

"Hell if I know. HEY! YO, SHI!" Mallory started screaming as people trickled out of the room.

A woman with long, flowing pink hair draped over a pink and yellow kimono approached the purple-haired girl. Her face was covered by a white and red mask, giving her an eerie, mysterious feel. "You called?" her figure was distinctively feminine, with an hourglass shape to her torso, but her voice was deep, raspy, menacing.

"Yeah." Mallory went unaffected by the threatening presence of this new woman, but Shawn and Sarah stepped back. "We're the very last battle, so you better give me a good challenge! Don't run off on me, you hear?"

Although her facial expressions were unable to be seen, it was clear Shi was taken aback by the lack of reaction she had from the younger girl. "That will not be a problem. See you then." she excused herself, silently pacing away.

Mallory had a look of disbelief on her face, almost she didn't understand how she could be so courteously curved. "Did you see that!?" she complained. "The nerve!" she ranted, stomping off at a brisk pace, leaving the remaining two youngsters to follow her into the main entrance where the battles were able to be seen.

"Really, Mal, you pushed your luck there." Shawn carefully retorted, not to anger the hotheaded girl. "All things considered, she was pretty polite."

"Exactly!" Mallory snapped back, hands on her hips as she turned around. "She was supposed to cower in fear, be surprised, be excited for the coming battle, anything! Not be goddamn apathetic!" she continued, back to making her way towards the main hall and entrance.

Sarah and Shawn exchanged a quick, joking glance and the latter rolled his eyes, more than used to his friend's little dramas. "Yeah, you're right, Mal, you're right." he tried pacifying the purple-haired girl, but his lack of feeling when speaking made him fail to do so. Meanwhile, the gang had grouped inside the hall and was ready to witness the first battle of the Ecruteak Tournament, whenever it may begin.

Mallory, in her hotheadedness, lost herself in thought, presumably complaining internally as she stepped her foot on something relatively hard, but definitely not the floor - something she didn't mind to see what it was, continuing the incessant tapping of the foot.

A low voice rose. "E-Excuse me... that is my foot." the voice that Shawn heard was the one of a stereotypical sweet, shy boy, who definitely looked the part.

He was definitely on the short side, the tip of his Ultra-ball-styled beanie barely reaching Sarah's chin. He wore a thin-ish white hoodie, and black pants with a yellow stripe down the hem of the leg, matching the headgear, and topped it off with a flashy yellow color with his sneakers. His dark auburn hair was semi-tied into what Mal would later identify as a french braid, and his eyes were dark brown, resembling the color of strong coffee.

"Mal?" Shawn repeated the boy's call for attention as she kept stomping on her foot, lightly to be sure, but a bit annoyingly nonetheless, but the impatient girl was lost in her own thoughts, still mulling over her opponent in the coming battle. "Mal!" he repeated louder.

"What!?" she snapped, stomping her foot harsher, and the short boy barely dodged the incoming stomp.

"You were trotting over that guy's foot like a rabid Ponyta, that's what!" Shawn joked, gesturing towards the boy, his small frame making Mal tilt her head, much like a confused child would. "Sorry about that." he apologized for his friend's unknowing behaviour.

The boy made himself hear again, with a shy, sheepish look. "I-It's okay, really! I could've moved my foot earlier... don't know why I didn't." he scratched his neck and apologized. "Sorry about that."

"H-Hey, no need for you to be sorry!" Shawn comforted. "It wasn't your fault. You're... here for the competition, right?" he added, attempting small talk with the boy.

"Right!" the boy grinned and straightened his posture a bit. "My name is Kaleaf. I'm a trainer, but I'm still a novice. It's nice to meet you-" he trailed off the end of his introduction, bidding Shawn to introduce himself back, making Kaleaf's brown eyes pop with a childish enthusiam. "O-Oh! You're Shawn? Shawn Hargrove?"

"Yep!" Sarah interrupted, feeling a little left out of the two-way conversation they were having. "Your opponent in the tournament."

The mention of a tournament opponent made Mallory fume and roll her eyes, her foot beggining to tap against the floor once again. "Kaleaf Hoomes, right?" the buzzcut boy asked.

"It's pronounced Humes..." he responded, a bit of embarassment present in his tone. "Like, fumes, but with an 'H'."

"Ah!" Shawn's realization was shot out his mouth before he knew it and he apologized for the confusion. "You're a trainer, you say, though? What kind of pokémon do you have?" he asked excitedly, eager to see new species as he journeyed through an entirely new region.

Kaleaf nodded, confirming his previous statement regarding his battling experience, and began speaking. "I have my partner here!" he tapped and held a pokéball he had kept attached to the side of his backpack, the other five on display being empty.

"Neat!" Sarah smiled. "What kind of pokémon is it?"

The shy boy shot a quick laugh and shook his head. "I-I'm not going to reveal my secrets to my opponent! Strong trainers wouldn't, right?"

"I guess so." Shawn shrugged. "I'll be looking forward to our match then!" he paused and was about to turn and go somewhere else, before stopping himself. "Are you by yourself?" the shorter boy nodded. Shawn eyed Sarah, who looked at him back with a lost expression, and then Mallory who was still off in her own rage-filled world, pacing back and forth while she reviewed the short encounter with the masked trainer in her head. "Want to tag along with us?"

"Huh?" Kaleaf blushed, eyes popping out again before he looked down in embarassment. "Well... I... I don't have anyone else to keep me company so, that's would, um, that would be nice."

Shawn and Sarah traded another glance, the latter being now aware of Shawn's previous look. "Then it's settled! The battle should be starting anytime now... want to see them together?"

"I have a battle to prepare for, so I'm going to check on First and the others beforehand!" Sarah explained. "I'll meet you here in a bit. Don't go too far away, please!" she asked, earning a nod and a wave from the two boys, the other girl being unaware of her surroundings.

"Hey, Mal!" Shawn shook the girl's arm slightly.

"Huh?" she was quicker to respond this time, but was still dazed, clearly lost in the situation. Looking around for the hoodie-clad girl, she twirled around, squinting at some similar built girls in the process. "Where did Sarah go? Did she ditch us? And who's this?"

"K-Kaleaf..." the braided boy reintroduced himself shyly, a bit stunned by Mallory's questions, excentric personality and facial expressiveness. "Nice to meet you."

"Ah!" Mallory realized vocally. "You're the boy I was tapping my foot on just now." she added, her eyes widening before she facepalm and subsequently apologized with a courteous quick bow. "What are you doing here, little dude?" she questioned with a smile.

Slightly uncomfortable by the mention of 'little' in the nickname, Kaleaf shifted, scratching his shoulder before Shawn explained the situation to his friend. "Sarah is off checking on her team and, for the time being, we're keeping Kaleaf some company!"

Mallory mouthed a silent, drawn-out 'oh' and nodded with a smile, directed at her new acquaintance. "Okay then! Welcome to the squad, Leafy!"

"L-Leafy?" he repeated aloud, almost as if fact-checking whether or not he heard correctly. After a few instants of deliberation, though, Kaleaf simply shrugged it off as a friendly nickname and didn't think too much of it - it was better than something that mentioned his height, after all.

"Want to see the first battle then? It'll be a good timekiller, if anything." Shawn suggested, being met with an eager Mallory and a passive but agreeing Kaleaf, and as such, he was the one to lead the way towards the screen where a crowd was already forming and the first battle was nearly starting.

The Ecruteak Tournament was about to begin.

* * *

 **~ CHAPTER 1: END ~**

* * *

 **New Characters:**

 _ **Sarah Haze and First**_ _, submitted by 25th Doctor!_ _ **  
**_ _ **Kaleaf Humes** , submitted by Little King Phooka!  
 **Code Name: Shi** , submitted by Naose-Yuki!_

* * *

 **A/N: That's the first actual story chapter! A little slow of a start, to be sure, as we're still introducing characters before getting to the overarching plot. Next chapter will have a couple of battles thrown in the mix as well as the end of this one-round tournament. Until next chapter, happy writing!**


	3. Chapter 2: Friendships and Rivalries!

**CHAPTER 2: Friendships and Rivalries! The Trio's Debut!**

* * *

 _~ Ecruteak City, Ecruteak Dance Theater ~_

Shawn was giddy with excitement as the twelfth battle in the Tournament was coming to a close. On the right side of the battlefield, a rampaging Scyther was strengthening its Fury Cutter over and over, landing successful hit after successful hit against his opponent's Poliwhirl. The water-type kept dodging and blocking the attacks, but the mantis pokémon kept throwing a flurry of slashes its way, rendering him unable to counterattack. The adrenaline was high, and friendly bets were thrown among the spectators in the entrance hall, most of them leaning towards the Scyther's victory.

Soon enough, the bug-type's trainer ordered her partner to finish the battle. "Let's go, Scyther, X-Scissor!"

Scyther rose both his scythe-like arms in the air and visibly charged them with energy, making them glow a bright white with a slight tint of green due to his own color. With a direct hit to the black swirl on Poliwhirl's stomach, Scyther sent his opponent flying off the stage boundaries and onto the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Poliwhirl is, as of right now, unable to battle!" Dirk voiced, raising his right hand to announce the winner. "The twelfth winner of the Tournament is Jennifer, from Azalea Town!"

Upon hearing her official win, the lilac-haired girl jumped for joy, hugging her battle partner tightly, a smile on each of their faces before waving and bowing towards the camera and leaving stage through the left exit, taking the chance to thank her opponent for the battle, a fiery ambition in her step. The defeated party, a bit hesitant, shook the girl's hand and smiled, thanking her back for the challenge and they both left the stage together.

"This means the thirteenth battle is ready to begin!" Nurse Joy announced, turning to both entrances to the battlefield. "Are our battlers ready?"

Sarah had been ready to go inside for a while at that point, eager to let herself and her pokémon concentrate before her televised debut battle. With determination, Sarah entered the great hall with her pokéball in hand, making a beeline for the stairs that led to the left side of the arena - the makeshift battlefield that was usually the stage for Ecruteak's Dance Theater's many live dance shows.

A few moments passed, and Sarah's focus was broken by the entrance of a certain other individual through the right door.

The girl - her opponent, Sarah thought - carried herself with an exquisite regal confidence that made her the center of attention from the start. Her honey blonde waves cascaded down the back of her neck and draped over a golden dress with sunset pink highlights near the hem of the skirt and the sleeves, and she wore matching platform heels that did a good-enough job of hiding her short stature.

Opening her eyes, revealing an emerald green hue, the challenger eyed Sarah with a snobbish attitude and snickered lowly. "Good luck!" the girl - Kidra, was it? - wished her adversary with a warm, defenseless smile. "Please don't go too harsh on me... I'm a beginner."

Sarah eyed the girl with a disappointed but sure expression. She'd appreciate an easy win, she thought, but not as much as she'd like a good challenge.

"Preparations are ready for the next battle to commence!" Dirk announced over the microphone, connecting to the speaker in the other room. "Are both our participants ready?" Both Sarah and Kidra gave reassuring nods. "Very well, then." he moved away from the microphone to whisper something in the other judge's ear before returning to his announcer role. "The battle between Sarah Haze and Kidra Silvery is about to begin! It will be a one-on-one single battle. Now let the battle..."

* * *

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

 _ **Sarah Haze + Growlithe  
VS  
Kidra Silvery + ?**_

* * *

"First, I choose you!" Sarah called as she threw the pokéball in the air, her pokémon exiting with a brilliant display of red energy as the device automatically opened in midair. Growlithe, standing on all fours, growled at his opponent with a feral animosity, striking fear into the forest-coloured eyes of the young trainer in front of him.

"Heiress, it's your turn!" Kidra announced as she twirled playfully sending out her pokémon of choice. In the split second it took for First's adversary to present itself, Sarah's mind ran wild. Heiress? What kind of pokémon could that be? Maybe a beautiful siren like a Milotic, or a majestic Meowstic?

The red light formed a winged creature in the air, the wing span growing ever larger than Growlithe's entire body, frightening the young dog-like creature for a moment. As colour started to show, an oval, blue bat-like pokémon showed itself, stretching her purple wings, and baring her vampiresque fangs.

Sarah eyed the pokémon she was about to face and thought silently, grabbing her chin for a second. "A Golbat, huh? I have the type advantage... but I can't let my guard down, or else First might fall victim to some pretty nasty attacks."

"Let's start up with a Bite, Heiress!" Kidra surprisingly made the first move, throwing Sarah for a loop as First struggled to dodge the initial attack, making for direct contact from the get-go.

"First!" the battler blamed herself for momentarily losing her focus and checked on her fire-type's safety before resuming the battle. "Howl, and follow up with a Quick Attack, pronto!"

Responding quickly to his trainer's orders, First immediately combined the two moves, Howling in mid-run as he prepared to hit the Golbat head first.

"Protect!" Kidra shouted, and Heiress began forming a blue-green-ish barrier around her, deflecting the attack just in the instant before First hit the flying-type, being thrown back to his initial position.

Fists clenched, Sarah commended the supposed begginer's speed and the bat pokémon's reflexes. "Repeat!" she insisted on the all-out offense she'd designed over the last few days with her team.

The familiar trail of light behind him, Growlithe ran at his opponent at a great speed, knocking him off the air and tumbling to the ground with a great deal of damage. "H-Heiress!" the girl on the right side called, eyes twitching in fear. "U-Uh..."

"Flamethrower!" Sarah kept on the offensive, and before Kidra knew it, a pillar of flames was erupting out of the dog pokémon's mouth. Golbat swiftly dodged the attack and went airborne, throwing a shocked expression onto both First and his trainer as she dived towards the fire-breathing pokémon, taking advantage of his defenselessness.

Kidra snickered and grew a soft smirk, before yelling out a final order. "Okay, Heiress, time to take out the trash!" she taunted Sarah and First, but Golbat wasted no time. Her huge mouth wide open, Heiress quickly bit down on the dog pokémon with a strong Bite, shaking him violently - much like an angered Growlithe would, and threw the smaller creature to the floor, making Sarah gasp in the sidelines as the force of gravity clearly increased the intensity of the attack.

"F-First!" she called, as she witnessed the Growlithe's resolve, trying to sustain the damage with shivering paws before falling to the ground. Sarah's eyes went wide as she looked at her unconscious partner, and heard a voice announce the loss she wasn't easily admitting.

"Growlithe is, as of right now, unable to battle!" Dirk voiced, raising his right hand, reminding the audience outside of the previous battle. "The thirteenth winner of the Tournament is Kidra, of Camphrier Town in Kalos!"

* * *

 **BATTLE END!  
Victory goes to Kidra Silvery!**

* * *

Hurrying off to the stage in order to tend her partner's wounds, Sarah called for her pokémon, hoping he'd hear her in his unconsciousness. "First..." she whimpered. "You did good, pal." she praised with a soft smile, before tapping the dog's head lightly with his empty pokéball.

"Return." Kidra had her arm outstretched, a small, porcelain hand around the ball and a smirk on her face. "Isn't she amazing!?" she bragged, rubbing salt on Sarah's open wound, although the hoodie-wearing girl hadn't fully grasped whether or not she was mocking her loss.

"Begginer's luck, maybe." Sarah pondered, but didn't let that thought escape her lips. She didn't want to _sound_ like a poor loser, after all. "Right you are! Good match, that Golbat packs a mean punch."

Kidra giggled and nodded, bowing down as she grabbed the hems of her dress. "Why, thank you! You weren't so bad yourself." she scoffed before leaving the stage, showing to have nowhere near the modesty of the twelfth winner. Sarah was left a bit in awe as she saw the golden haired girl classily paced her way out, standing up straight before leaving the stage, making sure to nod the judges as a quick thank you, receiving a sympathetic smile from Dirk and Nurse Joy, but no reaction from the reserved Elm.

"Sarah!" Shawn called as the battler left the battlefield, entering the main hall once again. On the other side of the room, near the opposite door, a small crowd gathered, congratulating Kidra on her tournament win - congratulations she received with great enthusiasm. "You rocked in there!"

"Yeah!" Mallory added. "If only she didn't have a second-stage pokémon yet... the odds were totally against you!" she complained, a certain fire in her eyes as she cheered Sarah on, showing little results. Putting her hoodie over her head, the challenger bowed her head down a bit and apologized, excusing herself as she went to the restroom. "She seemed... down, huh?"

Kaleaf, who had stayed mainly quiet until the moment, decided to speak for a while. "Maybe she's not, um, a... you know, a good sport?"

"She seemed fine to me." Shawn commented, oblivious to the evident expression of frustration Sarah had before leaving. "You really think she's down because she lost?"

"Maybe." Mallory thought aloud. "She might just be really hard on herself with losses and such. Not like me! Win or lose, me and Shroomish are raring to go and gain all the experience we can!" she cheered, taking off at a quicker, more enthused speed. "Although obviously we... prefer winning, right."

"Shroom, mishroom!" the small grass-type agreed with a triangular smile, jumping on his trainer's lap.

"Excuse me. Are you friends with the thirteenth loser?" a tall teenager wearing an unbuttoned lab coat approached the conversation, interrupting it. Trading a confused glance, Shawn and Mallory nodded, telling the boy they had met a few hours prior. "I see... I am mourning her loss. She was manipulated." he stated, his speaking showing little to no variations in volume or pitch - he possessed a rather monotone voice.

A gasp of shock later, Kaleaf's curiosity had piqued. "E-Excuse me, what do you mean?" he asked.

"It was obvious." he insisted, nodding ever so slightly, before producing a small clipboard with notes written on it. A short bulletpoint list was scribbled on it in blue paint, neat and tidy cursive handwriting decorating the sheet. "Before the match, 'K', the winner, told 'S', the loser, she was a begginner. This was obviously an attempt to make 'S' drop her guard... which she succeeded in doing. Secondly, 'S' brought her pokémon out first - giving 'K' ample time to review her choices and plan accordingly, giving her another advantage. The Golbat's wings gave him mobility and a vantage point, which turned this battle into quite a short, one-sided one. The outcome was visible from a mile away, logically speaking."

The rant the lab-coat-clad boy had gone on brought Mallory's brain to glitch, only being rebooted when Shawn struck her side with his elbow. "H-How did you notice all that?" Shawn asked, trying to make the boy's actions a little less creepy.

"Researcher blood." he stated simply.

"Alex!" the shoulder-length black haired girl the trio had noticed eyeing Professor Elm earlier called, looking directly at Shawn as the remainder of the group focused on the researcher's data - to varying degrees of concentration.

The girl had a sky blue bandana a little above her forehead, holding her hair back so it didn't fall on the sides of her head. Contrasting the tanned skin, she wore a white lab coat, similarly to the boy who had approached the teenagers just now, over a black tanktop, beige cargo pants and brown knee-length combat boots. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, half-covering the 'X' on the tanktop, she stomped closer.

"Alex!" she repeated the boy's name, slapping his shoulder.

With a robotic sigh, he turned around to face the similarly clad female. "What?" he asked, somewhat rudely, not taking his eyes off the notes he'd taken.

"Stop pestering these people!" she ordered with an assertive whisper, being careful not to make eye contact with anyone she didn't know. "Let's just leave..."

"Sure, Sasha, sure..." the boy - Alex - nodded and trailed off, being followed by his colleague - Sasha, from the looks of things.

"That was..." Mallory tried to find a word to describe what had just happened, from Sarah's loss, to the report on said loss by a complete stranger. "...interesting?" she concluded, not sure of her word choice.

"You can say that again." Shawn agreed, eyebrows furrowed as the other duo increased the distance between them and the two friends. "A-Anyway... the fourteenth battle is almost starting. Wanna check it out?"

Kaleaf nodded silently and shifted, looking behind him. "Shouldn't we check on your friend first, though?"

"Naaaah!" Shawn disagreed, a smile on his face. "She's probably just taking a dump, I bet! She'll be fresh as a daisy in no time. Now what pokémon do these people have... a Lotad and a Palpitoad!"

Mallory studied the pokémon in their heads. "Double water types, then... this should be interesting!"

"Interesting? Lotad totally has the advantage!" Shawn countered. "He's a grass-type, after all." Mallory looked at her know-it-all friend and sighed, remaining silent as she waited for the battle to begin.

* * *

It had been quite a while ever since Sarah went to the restroom, and Mallory had went to check up on her not long afterwards, thus leaving Shawn and Kaleaf alone to an awkward silence - even though the chatter of the surrounding people kept them going for a bit.

"I hope they come back soon... I'm getting worried they'll miss our fight." Shawn vented, rubbing his right hand across his buzzcut, enjoying the feeling of the little spikes of hair on his palm.

Kaleaf's index fingers pressed against each other, as he shyly maintained the conversation. "I'm sure they won't miss it. Though... we are up next." he stated, reminding himself. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as ever!" he replied energetically. "Amber and I will be sure to give you a good fight. You're a battler too, right?"

"Hm?" Kaleaf inquired, lacking understanding. "I-I don't follow."

Shawn smiled and reiterated his point. "What are you journeying for? Challenging gyms, contests, tournaments? Or maybe you're just travelling?" he guessed.

"Oh!" the shy boy interjected, nodding, now comprehending. "I... I'm not sure, really. Just e-experimenting, I guess."

"Hm... that's neat." the buzzcut boy nodded and smiled, noticing people exiting the battlefield room from both doors, marking the end of the twentieth battle of the tournament. "Sh-Shoot, we're up next!"

Kaleaf noticed the exact same and stood up rushedly, eyes shot open with nervousness. "I-I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon!" he cried out, biting his bottom lip.

"Come on!" Shawn cheered. "It'll be fun! Good luck." he wished, a genuine smile on his face as he stretched his hand out for the shorter boy to shake.

Hesitantly, his hands met the taller boy's, bobbing up and down twice before Kaleaf made his way to the door on the right, still tingling inside, Shawn walking to the opposite door and entering the arena, the somewhat familiar but also distinctly foreign feeling of adrenaline right before a fight sinking into his body, exciting him.

The brisk walk from the entrance to the bottom of the steps that led to the stage was quick and easy for Shawn, but not for the shivering Kaleaf, nerves taking him over for a while before his opponent cheered him on. With an expression of shaky resolve, he pressed forward, and both ascended to the stage together.

Unsurprisingly, upon noticing Shawn's presence, Dirk whispered something in the professor's ear, making the latter chuckle slightly before going back to his notes. After the researcher stopped writing, he signaled the Ecruteak Gym Leader, who stood up in order to present the next battle.

"Preparations for the twenty-first battle are finished, and the battle may begin! Are our next battlers ready?" Dirk inquired, eyeing both the participants. Shawn looked in his father's eyes and nodded resolutely, while his rival showed a bit of hesitance in his confirmation - something Dirk couldn't bear to wait on. "Very well then, without further ado... the battle between Shawn Hargrove and Kaleaf Humes is about to begin! It will be a one-on-one single battle! Let the battle..."

* * *

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

 _ **Shawn Hargrove + Vulpix  
VS  
Kaleaf Humes + ?**_

* * *

"Amber, do your best!" Shawn called, throwing the red and white ball in the air, making it spin before a burst of red light erupted from it, making the fox-like pokémon appear, purring on the floor before adopting a more offensive stance, tails in the air.

"A V-Vulpix? Oh man..." Kaleaf stuttered, talking lowly - only loud enough for himself to hear. Shaking, he produced a ball from his possession and called his own partner into battle. "B-Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

As the red light formed a figure, various tones of green started taking over the silhouette, forming a quadruped dinosaur-like pokémon with red eyes and a bulb on his back. Shawn immediately identified Bulbasaur as a grass-type, tapping into not only his previous experience and knowledge, but also his common sense.

"A grass-type against Amber..." Shawn thought. "This gives me the advantage, but I know how Sarah ended up because of that... I'll be sure to win this for her!" he nodded convictly and took the initial move into his own hands, pointing at Amber's opponent. "Let's start off with an Ember!"

The Vulpix nodded and jumped in the air, opening its mouth as dozens of small fire projectiles exited at great speeds, hitting the grass-type directly as Kaleaf's pokémon failed to dodge the incoming fireballs. "Bulbasaur!" Kaleaf called, a bit shaken at the rough start. "Go for the Leech Seed, please!?" he ordered, rather unsure of his own move.

Nevertheless, the glowing green seeds flew in Amber's directions. The Vulpix dodged, obeying its trainer's call, but it was one second too late. As the fire-type moved to escape the incoming ailment, she jumped, the seed getting stuck on her back paw, leeching its vitality over time. "Ack..." the trainer interjected, noticing the Vulpix had lost control over one of her hind legs, forcing him to adapt on the spot.

"Keep it up, Bulbasaur!" Kaleaf cheered, and Bulbasaur prepared itself for the next attack. A short silence fell as Shawn focused on his next move. "O-OH, I have to... oh, I have to say something. Use... Razor Leaf!"

Nodding forward, sharp leaf-like projectiles came from under the grass-type's bulb, flying Amber's way. The look of fright in her blue eyes quickly dissipated as she dodged the incoming attack, rolling to her right, nearing the end of the stage. Her paw still wrapped in a green energy-sapping vine, the fire-type stood up, basing her balance on her three free legs. "Wh-What was that!?"

"Great dodge, Amber!" Shawn praised. "Okay buddy, Ember again, go!" The same pelts of fire erupted from her mouth, shot towards her opponent at great speed, making for direct contact. Bulbasaur flew off into the opposite end of the stage, unable to dodge as Kaleaf looked stunned from Vulpix's roll.

Realizing his inability to direct his partner, Kaleaf apologized quickly. "Uh... Are you okay?"

"Buuuul ba saur!" the pokémon answered, exhausted but with every bit of fire he had within him. "Saur, saur!"

"What a determined little buddy you have!" Shawn swooned, but immediately went back to his previous focus point. "A-Amber, now's the time to finish this! Ember, go!" For the third time, fireballs flew off into Bulbasaur, who due to previous injuries was unable to avoid the incoming attack. However, the vine grew tighter and knocked Amber off her balance, making for an indirect hit on the grass-type opponent.

A small cloud of smoke covered Bulbasaur for a while before it eventually dissipated, the pokémon fainted, collapsed on the floor. Kaleaf looked at his partner, lost for words. "Bulbasaur!" he ran into the stage as the judges announced the victor.

"Bulbasaur is, as of right now, unable to battle!" Dirk voiced, raising his left hand, gesturing towards his son's side of the field with a proud smile on his face. "The twentieth winner of the Tournament is Shawn, of Veilstone City, Sinnoh!"

* * *

 **BATTLE END!  
Victory goes to Shawn Hargrove!**

* * *

"Rest up, buddy." Kaleaf suggested, calling his hurt partner back into the capsule, praising his efforts. Walking forward, Kaleaf noticed Shawn untying the vine that entangled his pokémon's leg. "G-Good job there... you're really strong." he complimented his adversary, who had just broken Amber free of the Leech Seed's effects, resulting in a joyful cry.

Shawn stood up and shook his opponent's hand. "Great match!" he said, bubbling with excitement from his first victory. "I'd like a rematch sometime!"

"S-So you can trounce me and m-make fun of me...?" Kaleaf said lowly, his tone becoming a bit sadder, but quickly enough Shawn explained his reasoning.

"Well, thing is, we're both trainers as of now! So it's natural I want to battle you! And I won't make fun of you ever... if anything, I can give you tips or something."

"Really?" the braided boy had his doubts, but Shawn looked like a trustworthy individual, so he let it slide with a smile and thanked the buzzcut boy. "L-Let's leave. The next battle starts soon..."

As the boys made their way out the same door Shawn had entered from, Vulpix cheerfully laid on her trainer's head, a handful of people congratulated the winner on his victory, applauding the efforts of the loser nonetheless. Mallory and Sarah approached the two boys with great smiles on their faces.

"Great battle, you guys!" Mallory commented, happy that her friend had won the match.

Sarah shared the feeling, but wasn't too show-off-ish with her excitement, unlike the energetic purple-haired girl beside her. The quartet reunited, they started walking towards the same spot they were resting in before, Mallory taking a vacant spot on a spacious, square red stool where they'd been sat down moments before. "What was up with you, Sarah?" Shawn asked.

The girl shrugged. "I wasn't feeling well, that's all."

"Was it because of the battle?" he insisted, curious to know. "There's no shame in losing, you know."

"How about we talk about something else!" Mallory intervened, slapping her knees repeatedly, not unlike a slower version of a drum roll. "Kaleaf, how was your first match?"

"Yeah!" Shawn continued, completely unaware of his friend's efforts to change the subject. Reminded of Kaleaf's goal as a trainer - or lackthereof - he asked. "So, did you enjoy battling? Maybe tournaments are your thing!" he suggested.

Kaleaf shrugged, unsure. "I don't know... I think I'd rather try something else before I decide on it. M-Maybe I'll challenge a gym or something? There's one in Ecruteak City..." he trailed off, muttering ideas to himself in a volume the other three people couldn't hear. "A-Anyway... I don't think that's important, is it?"

"You're right!" Mallory agreed. "We should be focusing on my battle... it'll be any second now."

"There's three more matches before you..." Shawn reminded, mocking the girl's impatience.

"Don't remind me!" she snapped, puffing her cheeks and crossing her arms, her right foot tapping against the floor.

Looking around, Shawn was interrupted by a questioning girl. "Looking for that Shi fellow." he explained, giving her a reason for his seemlessly unnecessary searching. The group looked around, but Shi seemed to be as evasive and hard to spot as she was mysterious. "Nope, can't see her... maybe she bailed?"

"She better not!" Mallory warned. "I mean, winning by default without a proper battle would be so boring! I need me a real challenge to get my blood pumping!"

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Mal." Shawn stated. "I mean, look at Sara-... hey, where did she go?"

Kaleaf, who she had spoken with before exiting, revealed her whereabouts. "S-Sarah went outside. She said she'll be back right before Mallory's match..."

"She better be!" the purple-haired girl crossed her arms once again, eyeing the front door. No one had noticed her leaving, which struck Shawn as odd. Maybe she simply didn't feel like talking for whatever reason?

Battle after battle ensued, and sure enough, as the second-to-last battle neared its end, Sarah came in as if she knew the exact timing.

Mallory stood up and waved at her, making the battler approach the other three trainers right as she noticed them. "Hey, guys, I'm back!" she announced, her energy and joyful aura renewed, making Amber rub her neck against the girl's ankle. "Haha, oh, you cutie." she squatted, petting the fox pokémon's neck and back, nearing the tails. "Mallory, I take it you haven't battled yet?"

"I'm up next! Where were you?"

"Outside, getting some fresh air. I'm a bit of a sore loser, and I can get pretty annoying at times when I rant..." she admitted sheepishly, her cheeks reddening. "It's not really an endearing trait, I guess, so I didn't feel like bothering you guys. Plus! You need all the good vibes you can get, girl, you're ending the tournament against that other girl!" she finished, not remembering the mysterious woman's name.

Frowning at the mention of the girl who so elegantly dismissed her earlier and mysteriously vanished afterwards, Mallory rolled her eyes and responded."Shi."

"Her!" Sarah replied simply, not being able to elaborate before being interrupted by the call for the last battle's participants, also known as the congratulations to the previous battle's winner - a man in his thirties - accompanied by his Bisharp. Meanwhile, the loser - a shorter, chubbier man - sprinted off, the small, unconscious body of his Natu in his arms, scurrying out the main gate and turning right, in the direction of the Center. "Ouch..." Sarah commented.

"No time to worry about small green birds!" Mallory psyched herself up, adrenaline coursing through her as she made a beeline for the door, entering the arena quickly.

Behind her, the trio stood in silence, unable to catch her to wish her the good luck they wanted to wish her. "I'm sure she'll be fine..." Shawn reassured, leading the way to the monitor.

Meanwhile, inside the arena, the judges were yet to finish preparations when Shi and Mallory had taken the stage, a pokéball in each of their hands. Giving herself nothing but positive thoughts and energy, passing it through to Shroomish, the teenager awaited for the battle to begin, looking the masked adversary in the eye holes.

After a minute or so of waiting in tense silence, the Ecruteak Gym Leader stood up.

"Preparations for the twenty-fifth and final battle of the tournament are finished, and the battle may begin! Are our next battlers ready?" he asked, looking at both of the participants, who refused to answer. "I see the tension is high in this one! Should make for a fun finale for this competition, huh?" he announced, before looking at both other judges, who nodded, urging him to continue. "Let's get this show on the road! The final battle between Mallory Pixiehale and Shi is about to begin! As per usual, a one-on-one single battle with no restrictions on useable pokémon! Without further ado... let the battle-"

* * *

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

 _ **Mallory Pixiehale + Shroomish  
VS  
Code Name: Shi + ?**_

* * *

Unable to wait for her opponent to bring out the pokémon first, Mallory called out her partner with a dramatic throw of the capsule. Erupting from the pokéball in the form of light, Shroomish's figure began to shape up. "Shroom, shroom!" he cried, bursting with an endearingly derpy bubbliness.

The masked adversary nodded, patting down her kimono calmly before throwing the ball in the air, a burst of energy forming a foreign shape. "Rise, Mimey." A pink humanoid pokémon came out, his torso being formed by a white sphere that connected to smaller pink ones, marking his thighs and shoulders. From those, protruded thin limbs and human-like hands. His face was expressive, light pink in color with two dark blue horns that matches his feet.

"A Mr. Mime..." Mallory noticed aloud, adding something else mentally. "Sucks that I don't have any advantage over it... sounds like Shroomish is getting the challenge we asked for."

The mime pokémon had his hands wide open, touching an invisible wall in front of him. As the right hand first touched the supposed glass surface, his face drastically went from a ditsy happiness to pure shock. A funny pokémon to be sure, but Mallory had other things to focus on - and laughing at her opponents was far down the list.

"Let's do this, Shroomish! Start us off with Leech Seed!" she ordered, arms clinging to her side, fists clenched. With a yelp, Shroomish spun around and shot out familiar green seeds from his mouth, that the Mr. Mime refused to dodge. The seeds made direct contact with the center of the body, entangling around the center orb.

Taken aback by her opponent's calm and quietness, Mallory kept on the offensive, switching the method of attack to Bullet Seed. "Light Screen." Shi said blatantly, and Mr. Mime, struggling to move its arms due to the restraints on his shoulders, placed his hands on an invisible wall in front of him. A light blue pane of light appeared for a second before fading away. The incoming seed projectiles bounced off the pokémon's body, doing little to no damage.

"Wh-What was that...?" Mallory asked herself, unaware of the nature of the opponent's attack. "That didn't do a dent!" she thought, frustrated. "What to do..." she pondered, brainstorming ideas with her chin resting on the webbing between her index and thumb. "Tackle!"

Hearing his trainer, Shroomish waddled forward with whatever speed he could muster, a determined expression on his face as he prepared for a headbutt. A small trail of light appeared behind him as he gained speed, but that wasn't enough to knock Shi off her peace.

"Reflect, now." she ordered, calm. Mr. Mime repeated his previous gesture, forming a new wall in front of him - this time a light pink color. As the barrier dissipated, Shroomish was able to go through it easily, proving Mallory's theory that it wasn't, in fact, a solid wall.

As Shroomish hit his opponent, however, the former effect - or lack of said effect - repeated itself. Shi crossed her arms in front of her, her posture unfazed. Mallory groaned as she was unable to damage the psychic-type with any of her moveset's options.

"Leech Seed should keep sapping away at his energy..." Mallory thought to herself, eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the trainer on the other side of the arena. "Should I stall for time and wait for it to faint from it? N-No, offense is the best defense."

The battle was at a stand still. Mr. Mime and Shroomish eyed each other - the fairy-type keeping his aloof, goofy expression while Shroomish was much more determined and serious. Shi's arms were still crossed, almost as if she waiting on Mallory to make the next move, knowing she'd be able to counter it with a defensive measure. Tension rose as the begginner trainer quickly ran out of ideas.

"Bullet Seed!" Mallory ordered. "T-Tackle!" she repeated. Attack after attack, nothing seemed to work.

"I grow weary." the mysterious trainer spoke. "Psychic, back wall."

The humanoid species of pokémon nodded, his eyes starting to glow with a light blue color similar to his previous Light Screen. A blue aura enveloped Mallory's small partner, his legs flailing in the air as he panicked, being levitated off the ground. "Miiiiiiime..." he sighed, his voice childish. With a massive force, Shroomish felt his body being flung behind him, hitting the hard wall behind Mallory.

The purple-haired girl widened her eyes, turning around to see her fallen partner. "Shroomish!?" she called, waiting for the dust to settle. But it was far too obvious to everyone but her - the grass-type was unconscious, and she had lost the battle.

"Shroomish is, as of right now, unable to battle!" Dirk announced, as he rose his right hand, pointing to the mysterious masked trainer - the winner. "The twenty-fifth and final winner of the Tournament is Shi, of Azalea Town!"

* * *

 **BATTLE END!  
Victory goes to Code Name: Shi!**

* * *

"N-No way..." Shawn gasped, seeing the end of the battle in the monitor designated for said task. Shi called her pokémon back and left without a word, ignoring any and all compliments she received on the way out. The buzzcut boy, along with Sarah and Kaleaf, followed the mysterious kimono-clad girl with their heads, feet rooted in front of the door opposite the one she came out of.

"She... KO'd Shroomish in a single hit?" Sarah questioned, almost like she didn't believe her own eyes. "That was ruthless, man..."

Kaleaf shuddered as he saw Mallory exit the arena, facing the trio and approaching them at a slow pace, her face hidden by a drape of purple. Her shoulders slumped, she stopped in front of the three people, much to Sarah and Kaleaf's panic. In the former's mind, maybe the upbeat Mallory she had known was a sore loser, much like she herself was.

A tense silence was broken by the recent loser, surprsingly. "That... was..." she paused, still slumped over, but soon regained her previous perk. "AWESOME!"

"H-Huh?" Kaleaf and Sarah interjected in unison, almost as if they'd rehearsed it beforehand. "What do you mean? You're not pissed?" Sarah added, while Kaleaf remained quiet, his jaw dropped ever so slightly.

"Pissed!?" she repeated incredulously. "Not at all! That was amazing! Did you see that Mr. Mime block everything I tried!? What an amazing pokémon, dude! And that Psychic! Shroomish didn't stand a chance!" she praised excitedly. "Where is she!? I want to congratulate her on her win!"

Shawn shrugged and pointed to the door behind him with his thumb. "Already left."

"WHAT!?" her joy and enthusiasm quickly vanished. "The nerve!" she ranted, becoming the same Mallory who complained about her opponent moments before the match. "I should've known she wouldn't stay around for me to praise her! What a little... agh! I swear on my life I'll rematch her sometime soon, mark my words!" she swore, making Shawn chuckle lightly.

"You do that, Mal, you do that." he replied, supporting his friend. "The tournament winners are about to be displayed!" he changed the subject, excited to see where he stood in the final list.

Mallory gave her friend a head tilt. "Winners? Aren't those already decided?"

"I forgot to tell you..." Sarah admitted, a little bit of embarassment present in her voice. "Thing is, there aren't twenty-five winners in the Tournament. Only the Top 5 gets any prize - the rest leave with bragging rights and experience."

"LAME!" she insulted, eyeing the monitor as names started being displayed, starting from the last place. Name after name slid onto the screen from the right, forming a neat column of navy blue rectangles with white text. "Shawn! You've passed the twenty mark!" Mallory noticed.

A few more names appeared before Sarah commented on a new achievement. "The fifteen mark as well!"

"And... you're in the top 10!" Kaleaf praised, as Shawn's names failed to appear after the numbers 10-25 showed up.

"Ninth place!" Shawn cheered, his name being presented after the number nine, other names filing above him. After a quick round of congratulations, the yellow-eyed boy focused back on the screen. "Sounds like that Kidra chick got fourth place... and Shi was... third!"

"WHAT!?" Mallory shouted, amazed at the official winners. "Shi didn't win first place? How!? She trashed me, and she's not going to even be rewarded for it!? Lame!" she continued, puffing her cheeks.

"Come on now..." Kaleaf put a calming hand on the girl's shoulder. "Third place is g-good as well, don't you think?"

Her eyes squinted, Mallory sighed in defeat and shrugged. "I guess. What now?"

"Well, first of all, we should wait for Shawn's father before anything else, don't you think?" Sarah suggested, and Shawn and Mallory agreed to it almost immediately. "Kaleaf, what about you?"

"I-I think I'll go to the Center now." he said lowly, not wanting to trouble the trio any longer. "I'll be seeing you. Thanks for keeping me company!" he smiled and bid his new acquaintances farewell.

Shawn smiled and hugged the shorter boy. "No problemo!" he assured. "Anytime you see us around, say hi! We can even have a rematch!" he challenged with a playful nudge, which made Kaleaf smile and nod, agreeing to the future battle before leaving.

"What a neat kid." Mallory complimented as he was out of earshot.

"He's seventeen, Mal."

"WHAT!?"

* * *

 **~ CHAPTER 2: END ~**

* * *

 **New Characters:**

 _ **Kidra Silvery and Heiress** , submitted by St. Elmo's Fire_  
 _ **Alex Brooks** , submitted by BlueTanaka  
 **Sasha Delacroix,** submitted by AnonChan1_

 _ **Kaleaf's Bulbasaur  
Shi's Mr. Mime (Mimey)**_

* * *

 **A/N:This was a _bit_ of a lengthier chapter! I wouldn't say you should get used to these, since I like keeping my updates to 5k-6k words (this one was roughly 6.6k). That way it's easier for me to write, and for you guys to read! That being said, maybe I'll sprinkle some of these longer chapters every one in a while. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **What do you think of the battle format I'm using? I'm adept to change if you want me to!**

 **Until next update, happy writing and... Yamazaki out!**


	4. Chapter 3: Mallory's First Gym Badge?

**CHAPTER 3: Strive for Greatness! Mallory's First Gym Badge!?**

* * *

 _~ Ecruteak City, Ecruteak Dance Theater ~_

As time went on, the three teenagers saw and heard all participants filter out of the dance theater, now that the event had ended and the excitement contained inside the buildings had subsided. Idle chitchat ensued while they patiently waited for the man himself, Dirk Hargrove, now that the Tournament had finally finished.

"That was definitely something." Shawn joked, still proud of his position in the final rankings of the Tournament. "Sounds like my TV debut was pretty good!"

Sarah praised the buzzcut boy, although a bit strained from her failed attempt at winning. "You should be proud really. Ninth place isn't an easy feat to pull off, especially for a begginner like you or me!"

"Our cheering probably did the trick!" Mallory concluded with a snap of realization. "We must've sent loads of positive energy your way. No wonder you won!"

Shawn chuckled and looked at the door to the stage, waiting for someone to come out. It was growing late after all, and his friend wanted to wake up early in order to make use of the twenty-four hours ahead. "I'm sure it was just that..." he replied, rather dismissively as he eyed the door.

A short instant of silence later, Sarah was reminded of an important topic of discussion - future plans. "Have any you guys decided on where you're going next? Ecruteak is sort of a central hub here in Johto, you can access quite a few different places from here."

The boy agreed as he quickly drew the bird's eye view map of the region in his mind. "There's Mahogany Town to the east, Olivine City to the west, and Goldenrod and Violet Cities to the south." she listed off the paths known to her before falling silent, pensive about where she'd like to be put to the test next.

"Goldenrod, Olivine and Mahogany all have gyms you can challenge, Mallory, so that's a no-brainer for you. If you're thinking of challenging all eight gyms in the region, you're going there eventually." she explained before turning to Shawn. "But you're kind of dependent of the contest schedules, aren't you, Shawn?"

With a sigh, he nodded. "Unfortunately so. That's why I want to check the scheduled meetings on the Pokémon Center. I forgot to do so yesterday, what with all the excitement and all."

"Hm, I see." Sarah finished, before adding, a bit unsure. "I wasn't paying too much attention to those, but I'm pretty sure the Mahogany Meeting is in a week or so. You have more than enough time to make the trip, train and be there on time for the competition!"

Pondering that as a possibility, Shawn shrugged. "Eh, maybe we'll go that way next then."

"That works out well for me, too." she smiled, remembering something. "There's another one of these battling tournaments in Blackthorn City, a few days after the meeting. Awfully convenient, wouldn't you say?"

"That's good!" Shawn smiled back. "Maybe we should all go together? Until Blackthorn City, at the very least."

Unable to find faults in the boy's idea, Sarah nodded confidently, agreeing to the thought. Just as she did, however, the sound of footsteps made her cock her head in the direction of the door, trying to discern who the steps belonged to. "Mr. Hargrove!"

"Dad!" Shawn cheered, standing up with Sarah following suit shortly after, Mallory still stuck in a thoughtlful trance.

"Hey there, my boy." Dirk smiled and rubbed his son's head, before Nurse Joy and the reserved Professor Elm gave more silent greetings. "Great job out there, you three! You're all winners in our books." he praised the two losers, one of which had yet to hear a thing. "Is little Mallory okay? Seems like she's a bit away. Something happen?"

Shawn reassured his father with a shake of the head, while Sarah proceeded to explain. "We were talking about where Shawn and her are going next on their journey. We both think it's best to go towards Mahogany first, since I think there's a contest there in a few days!"

"Yes, that's indeed the case." Nurse Joy intervened politely.

"Oh, right! You're from Mahogany Town, aren't you, ma'am?" Shawn inquired curiously, a bit forgetful of her presentation at the begginning of the tournament. With a nod, the nurse confirmed the boy's thoughts. "That's it, then! We're going towards Mahogany next."

Nurse Joy nodded ever so slightly and threw a smile towards Shawn. "I'll be seeing you there, then."

"Yeah! And be sure to tune in and see the contest!" he suggested with a smirk. "I'll be putting on a show like you've never seen!"

"Shawn, you know Nurse Joy is a judge, don't you?" Sarah informed, making the boy tilt his head, confused. "Yeah! Every contest in a major town or city has Nurse Joy as one of the lead judges. Mr. Miteang is also someone to look for there."

"I-I knew that!" he scratched his head, poking his tongue sheepishly making the nurse giggle.

With a bow, the nurse took the professor's arm. "We must get going right away, unfortunately. I have matters to attend to back in Mahogany. Would you be interested in a ride, by any chance?"

Shawn instinctively wanted to nod, before being reminded of the surprisingly quiet girl behind him, still in a daze. "Thank you, but Mallory here still has to get a badge case before we leave... and I'm pretty sure she'll want to battle Dad for the Ecruteak City's Gym Badge as well."

"Hm?" Dirk's eyes widened. "She will?"

"I-In any case," Nurse Joy interrupted, not to be forced to do so later on in the discussion. "I must take my leave now. Professor?"

"Yes." he courteously bowed, bidding farewell to the people still inside the lobby before leaving through the front gate.

The Ecruteak Gym Leader eyed the two of them leaving before looking at the three teenagers. "We should get going as well. Let's talk about that challenge on the way."

"I GOT IT!" Mallory cheered, standing up from where she was sat on with a victorious 'Eureka!' stance. Grabbing everyone attention suddenly, she turned to the three remaining people and shared her brilliant realization. "We should go to Mahogany next!" the trio only exchanged a few glances before laughing it off.

* * *

 _~ Ecruteak City, Pokémon Center ~_

"Are you sure you'll be okay here?" Dirk worried, previously thinking he'd have his son over for the night before his inevitable exit, but being proven otherwise. Mallory and Shawn had just left the building when they had the idea to stay at the Center with Sarah. "I dont want any mischief, you hear me? I trust you'll be fine." he added, still a bit disheartened.

The boy gave his father a toothy grin, showing his clean, white smile and assured him. "We'll be fine! When we're out travelling, we'll need to stay here in Pokémon Centers and the like, so we need to know how this works. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you."

Dirk sighed and shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "Don't make me think of anything going wrong, or you're walking home with me, little guy." The shorter boy clamped his hands over his mouth, smiling behind the makeshift mask he'd created, making Dirk smile in return as he noticed the crinkling around his son's eyes. "Make dad proud, okay?"

"Will do!" Shawn promised, throwing a thumbs-up towards the man. "Now gimme a hug, dad!" he had his arms outstretched and wide open, making the older man smile at his son's innocence, rubbing the boy's hair while embracing him tightly. "Aaaagh, dad! Y-You're crushing me!" he complained, flailing about.

"Sorry, sorry." he apologized, quickly loosening his grip over his son until he finally let him go completely. "I'll be going now. Is Mallory coming over tomorrow?"

Shawn looked behind him, seeing Mallory and Sarah talking, the former looking like she was in a fierce battle with the empty space in front of her, throwing punches, jabs, uppercuts and kicks as she pumped herself up for the challenges ahead. "I'm betting she will. First thing in the morning, probably." he chuckled, turning back to his father. "What time does the gym open?"

"Pretty early." his father shrugged, unsure of whether or not he'd open the Gym at the usual time, since he had just had a bit of a rough evening judging the tournament. "I'm sure I'll be there when you three arrive though. Tell them both I say hi, hm?"

"Will do!" Shawn cheered with a big smile, his amber eyes squinting as he grinned.

Dirk couldn't help but give his son a small laugh, shaking his head at his innocence. Knuckles on his hips, he looked him in the eyes. "I love you, son. Take care, you hear? No getting frisky with those two ladies."

"D-Dad!" the younger boy blushed and turned away, looking elsewhere in embarassment. "I-I wouldn't do anything like that... Mal is my friend."

With a hearty roar of a laugh, the older man apologized and gave the boy a hug, bidding him farewell as he left, vanishing over the corner as he undoubtedly headed home. Shawn ran a bit in front of the door, checking if his father was still anywhere near his sight, but failed - and began to admire the scenery around him, specifically the towering building up north, reaching the skies above Ecruteak.

"That's the Bell Tower." Sarah commented, leaving the center, the automatic glass sliding doors closing behind her.

"Yes, I know that." Shawn smiled, and resumed his contemplation of the ancient tower before a jolt of realization hit him. Looking inside in search of his friend, he noticed Mallory talking to Nurse Joy, a bit of a nervous and awkward look plastered on her face. "What's Mal doing?"

Cocking her head to the right, Sarah looked over her shoulder and giggled. "Bargaining with Nurse Joy because of her badge case." After being aware of the hilarious conversation that was probably ensuing inside the building, Shawn joined his new friend as they both laughed off the purple-haired girl's enthusiasm and impatience regarding the whole situation.

"Hey, Sarah?" Shawn caught the girl's attention.

"Hm?" she nudged him to continue.

Looking around him, the vastly different scenery of Ecruteak contrasting Veilstone's big city aesthetic, he finally asked. "Where is it like where you come from? Is it like this?"

"Oh?" she gasped, before furrowing her brow in confusion. "I thought you knew all about geography... you sure seem to know a lot, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, I do!" he defended himself, proud of his achievements as a fellow enthusiast of the subject. "It's just... I know landmarks and city layouts quite well, and pokémon type matchups are pretty easy to me as well. I was a good student back in school, I studied a lot and got pretty good grades and stuff, but we don't learn about how people feel, you know?" he asked, a bit vaguely. Sarah's silence was enough to make him understand that he was being too unspecific. "F-Forget it."

"No, no!" she insisted, eager to know what Shawn was talking about.

With a sigh, he resumed. "We learned about population number, local pokémon and buildings and all that but... I want to know how it feels to be in those places! That's something we never mentioned in school. Do you like living in Celadon?"

"Yes..." she responded, after a bit of a thoughtful pause. "It's a good place to live in. Sometimes the whole big city vibe it's got going on gets kinda tiring, and there're some problems with pollution and such, but overall it's a nice place to set up camp."

"I see..." Shawn concluded, a small breeze squeezing in through his hairs, sending a jolt down his spine as his scalp felt a sudden chill. "Ahh!" he interjected, reacting to the wind. "It's getting pretty cold out. Let's head back in."

Sarah nodded firmly, leading the way in as the heated inside of the Center greeted the duo with two open, warm arms. Finding their way to Mallory, who was waiting by the empty counter, the younger girl greeted the pair. "Heyo, guys!" she cheered. "Good news and bad news. What do you want to hear?"

Still indecisive, Shawn shrugged and blurted out the first one he'd thought. "The bad news, first."

"Well..." Mallory started, dejected and glum, looking down. "Turns out it really was true... badge cases only arrive tomorrow morning..."

"Y-You knew that already though!" Sarah noticed, confused, before turning to Shawn, who told her beforehand of the situation. "Didn't she?"

"She did." he rolled his eyes. "Bet she couldn't stay put and wanted to pester Nurse Joy some more, though. Am I wrong?" he eyed Mallory, arms crossed.

Pushing the drape of purple hair aside, Mallory's angry, dark red eyes came into full view, making Sarah flinch. In an instant, they grew softer, and she sighed. "You got me... I just wanted to see if they were hiding any in the back room or something! Pokémon Centers have a back room for stuff like this, right?"

"I... I guess?" Sarah answered, bewildered. "I heard there's a storage room for medical supplies and pokémon that are still waiting for their trainers... never heard of badge cases being stored there, though."

"Well, I've never heard of badge cases ever running out!" Mallory clenched her fists tightly, slightly flexing her arms as she tensed up. "It's unheard o-" she stopped herself, gasping as a sudden idea came to mind. Her brows furrowed in reaction as she blurted out her theory. "I've got it! It's a conspiracy! Nurse Joy is conspiring against me, out of fear that I'll rule over the Johto region after I win at the Pokémon League!"

A few seconds of awkward silence followed, Mallory growing progressively calmer. She then tilted her head to the side, almost asking if they had any problems with her thoughts. "Um... what about the good news?" Shawn continued, not wanting to press the subject any further.

Puffing her cheek, the girl glared at her friend before eventually shrugging it off. "I got us three a room for free." she said unimpressed, flipping her shoulder-length hair nonchalantly.

"Pokémon Center usually lend out a room for trainers on journeys. So it's no big deal, you know?"

"Would you stop bursting my bubble!?" Mallory snapped, jumping up and down with a childishly annoyed expression. "Jerk!"

Shawn laughed it off, patting his friend in the shoulder. "Sorry, sorry. You know I love you."

With an eye-roll, Mallory crossed her arms in front of her before crossing gazes with Shawn, the two of them starting to laugh. Sarah, feeling a bit left out, chimed in. "So, where are we staying?"

"I'll lead the way. Nurse Joy told me it's down that hall to the right." she pointed out, gesturing to a corridor in the back that connected itself to a perpendicular one at the end, dividing left and right. "Let's go?"

* * *

It had just turned 7am when a loud beep woke Shawn and Sarah up unexpectedly, both of them sitting up with a jolt of adrenaline. Still dazed and dizzy from the sudden wake-up, Shawn shifted his legs and started rubbing the sleep away from his eyes when he heard another loud noise - this time, the sound of something falling, followed by a weak, drowsy whimper.

"Shawn!" Sarah called out in panic as the other girl approached the fallen Vulpix in front of her.

"A-Amber!" the boy called, quickly dropping from the top bunk where he'd slept before crashing to the ground due to sleepy legs. "Ow... i-is Amber okay?" he asked, still blinking in order to get a clearer view of his surroundings, his friend's face taking form slowly but surely.

"Piiiiix..." the fox pokémon yawned, cringing at the sensation while she got up on four legs, stretching her paws before the rest of her body followed. Her shiny blue eyes focused on her trainer, then shifted to the bed above them, and back to the fallen soon-to-be coordinator. Slowly she approached the buzzcut boy and rubbed her head, coated in short, soft fur against the boy's leg.

With a sigh of relief, Shawn patted Amber's head, rubbing her back before reaching down below her neck, scratching the red fur. "Glad you're okay, and sorry, Amber..." he apologized before looking behind him, stretching his neck, and he focused on the window. "What was that noise?" he then focused on Mallory, already in travelling gear, Shroomish's pokéball in tow. "And why are you already in normal clothes? What time is it?"

Mallory stood up, putting her hands to her hips and her face grew stern. "That was the alarm clock, and we're going to leave this center in a few minutes! Your father's gym is about to open, Shawn, get going! I don't want to be late!"

Sarah reached out to the table in between the two beds, noticing the fallen bedsheet covers that hung from the top bunks, where Mallory and Shawn had rested through the night. Her head peeking under the covers of Shawn's bed, she checked one of the Pokétches. "Just after seven..."

"We barely slept!" Shawn complained, eyeing Mallory as she towered over her. "What happened to eight hours of sleep a night?"

"We have challenges coming our way and we can't leave them waiting, you idiot!" she retorted, gesturing both of the teenagers to get up and start readying themselves to leave. "Chop, chop, we ain't got all morning! I'm going to the front desk and asking the nurse if any badge cases have arrived yet, be right back!"

Sarah looked at the boy who was still fallen on the ground, Amber on his lap and chuckled as Mallory left the room hurriedly. "If anyone were to complain, you'd think it'd be me, huh? Aren't you used to these kinds of things? Like, as friends, don't you guys sleep over at each other's place?"

"Yeah., sometimes, but..." he stopped, sighing. "Mal sleeps in all the time, and I'm the one who has to wake her up so we can get going somewhere."

"Then you're getting your just desserts, I guess!" Sarah pestered, poking out her tongue before leaving bed, helping Shawn getting back to his feet. "Good thing I'm a morning person!"

Shawn shrugged and left to go to the bathroom, seeing that Mallory had already brought the clothes they left in the laundry the night before, a nice, sweet scent emanating from the fabric. Two small piles of neatly folded clothes rested on the sink, and Shawn looked at himself, a bit of drool drooping from the side of his lip and with a severe case of bedhead.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower before heading out, ok?" he warned before closing the door, Amber squeezing inside just before the thud to keep her trainer company.

As he smiled down at the fox pokémon, he heard a voice from outside, muffled by the door. "Okay!" Sarah replied, her tone a bit strained, like she was doing some morning stretches. "Don't take too long, I want to shower too!"

"Suuuure!"

* * *

 _~ Ecruteak City, Ecruteak City Gym ~_

It had been quite a while since Shawn had seen the Ecruteak City Gym in full glory. It wasn't anything too wild to see, sure, since he had seen it plenty of times online and in school, but seeing it in person made it seem... grander. The white walls were adorned with wooden planks that divided the building's sides into rectangles, the bottom half of it being neatly covered by the wooden slabs. Each of the rectangular building's corners were covered from top to bottom, connecting the wooden porch railings around it, to the blue pagoda-like roof where various lamps were lit and dangling from the borders.

"Wow..." Mallory whispered as she took in the structure, eyes glistening in the glow of the candlelight.

"M-Mal?" Shawn called, noticing she was standing dangerously close to the flame, the tip of her nose only milimeters away from the hot glass casing. "Would you be careful? I don't want you to get hurt before your gym battle."

"Look at all this!" she fawned, swooning over the outside of the building. "The wooden details, the porch, the lamps! What a nice, calming aesthetic!" she said, looking behind her. They'd already trudged a couple of meters from the street, as a stone walkway divided the garden that surrounded the Gym, several stone lanterns being lit ablaze, scattered around the grass and flowers. "I'm all for this! Let's do it!" she psyched herself, speedwalking towards the door before taking a deep breath. "Excuse me! Challenger coming in!" she called as the door creaked open.

Sarah and Shawn were quick to follow the gym challenger as she entered the building, focusing on a rectangular plain wooden arena with a tall lamp post on each corner, a pokéball logo drawn in white along the wooden boards, as per usual for standard Gym battlefields. Around said battlefield, was a suspended walkway for spectators.

"Mallory!" a rough voice called from the opposite side of the expansive room, coming from a door in the back. "I was waiting for you three!" The older man had complimented his usual white tanktop and black jeans with the black tailcoat he used when judging the Tournament the previous night, the image of a Typhlosion emblazoned in the back.

"Mr. Dirk!" Mallory called, her blood pumping hotter and faster than ever as the adrenaline kicked in. "I'm here to challenge you to a gym battle!"

The older man couldn't help but see his younger self in the fiery teenager, but brushed it off in fear of being either too boring, sounding too old or wasting too much time - something Mallory clearly didn't feel like doing. "I see, I see." he nodded, a big smile on his face. "It's about time for you to get knocked down a peg or two!" he taunted.

"You wish!" she fought back, sure of herself. "Bring it on, sir, I'll be the best challenger you've seen in ages!"

A short boy in a yellow t-shirt and jean shorts ran up to the older man. "S-Sorry, sir, I'm here!" he bowed, turning to the three teenagers before bowing again. "I'm Kyle, hello! I'm here to be the referee of this match!"

"Get in position, Kyle!" Mallory wasted no time, skipping formalities, the boy nodding and taking his place in the middle of the field, off to the right side from the front door. "Mr. Hargrove, how many pokémon will the challenger use?"

"Hm." Dirk saw himself in an uncomfortable position. "A limit of two would be the norm, and I cannot make exceptions."

All eyes were on the purple-haired girl as her red eyes squinted, a cocky smile of anticipation growing on her face. "I've only got one pokémon, and that's all I'm going to need! Bring on whatever, Mr. Dirk, we can take you on!"

Taking their stands, Sarah and Shawn eyed as the referee confirmed Mallory's requests with Dirk, a firm nod of affirmation being the final dealsealer.

"Preparations are ready for the Gym Battle to begin! Both the leader and the challenger may use a maximum of two pokémon in this single battle, and only the challenger will be allowed to switch out her pokémon in the middle of battle!" Kyle announced. "The battlers may show their first pokémon!"

Dirk, reached out behind him, picking one of the pokéballs on his belt, throwing it out into the battlefield before it opened. "Go, Quilava!"

"Lavaaaa!" the quadruped pokémon readied himself for battle, immediately adopting a fighting stance, his dark-red eyes lit with the same fire and energy as Mallory's. He let out a roar, his voice hoarse and deep, as the flames on his back grew larger and brighter.

Mallory's smirk had yet to vanish as she threw out her pick - her only pokémon, and faithful partner. "Shroomish, I choose you!"

"Shroom, shroom!" he waddled, trying his best to look menacing. Quilava's eyes widened for a second, his stern expression turning into a small smile.

Sarah started fidgeting nervous, from the sidelines. "Your dad's a fire-type Gym Leader, isn't he?" he asked, stressed out for the outcome of the match. "Why'd Mallory bring out Shroomish!? Mr. Dirk has a great advantage over her now!"

"Shroomish is her only pokémon..." Shawn explained, reminding the older girl. "I'm sure she'll pull through... somehow."

"You don't seem too sure."

"Well..." he explained himself. "My dad's really strong. So although I'm rooting for Mal, I'm putting my money on Dad."

"I see." Sarah nodded, focusing back on the battlefield as the match was just about to begin.

Kyle cleared his throat. "The match between Ecruteak City's Gym Leader, Dirk Hargrove, and his challenger, Mallory Pixiehale of Floaroma Town, is about to begin! May the battle... commence!"

* * *

 **GYM BATTLE BEGIN!**

 _ **Mallory Pixiehale + Shroomish  
VS  
Dirk Hargrove + Quilava + ?**_

* * *

"Alright, Shroomish, let's start this show!" Mallory initiated her assault, finger outstretched as she dramatically made her first move. "Tackle!"

"Shroooooom!" he let out a victory cry before running headfirst into the opposing pokémon, his stubby feet running at top speed as he made his way to the fire-type in front of him.

Quilava didn't move, waiting for the incoming attack or his trainer's orders. "Smokescreen!" he heard, and opened his mouth letting out a cloud of dense, black smoke that also seemed to erupt from the fireholes on his back.

"Shroom?" the unmistakable voice of the grass-type pokémon made him look confused and lost in the dark puff of smoke. Sarah nudged Shawn to look to Mallory's side, where Shroomish had appeared, skin a bit darker from being in the middle of the smoke.

"Good job retreating, Shroomish, you're the best!" Mallory cheered her partner on before giving out her next order. "Bullet Seed, now!"

A look of resolution crossed the grass-type's face as he readied himself for the next attack, puffing out his cheeks before letting various pelts be shot out of him and directly at the Quilava on the opposite side of the field - although he was ultimately taking a blind shot, as the smoke hadn't dissipated yet.

"There should be some sort of light or something..." Sarah squinted her eyes, trying to focus on the inside of the smoke cloud, but to no avail. Defeated, she sat back down and rested her chin on the railing dividing her and Shawn from the field. "Quilava's back has some sort of fiery burst of flame... that should give off light to make him visible in the Smokescreen."

"Mal might've thought that too but..." Shawn tried his best to find said light, but reached a similar conclusion to Shroomish and Sarah before him. "It doesn't look like it. Dad probably had that weakness covered."

Sarah pondered over the Leader's strategy for a quick second before eyeing Mal with hopeful eyes. "I hope she can get around it quickly... she's already at a disadvantage so she has to work something out, pronto!"

"Hnrgh..." Mallory groaned, stalling for the smoke to dissipate.

"No move, huh?" Dirk taunted before cracking his knuckles and bending down, eyes presumably on the back of his pokémon. "Quilava, Quick Attack!"

The fire-type's cry made itself hear throughout the room as the fog in the field started to vanish. A great number of footsteps followed, a flurry of them being heard in quick succession, making the small grass-type nervous as he had no idea what to expect from his opponent.

"Shroooooom..." he whimpered, staying put, trying to resist whatever hit came at him.

"Try to locate him, partner!" Mallory suggested, although she didn't seem too sure of the idea herself. It would be a plan, for sure, but how could Shroomish pull it off? "Look out!" she warned, noticing a blur exiting its previous concealment in the black cloud of smoke.

But unfortunately, it was too late. At a blinding speed, Quilava made his way out of the cloud and headbutted Shroomish, knocking it quite far, landing on his back. Hopping back to his feet, Shroomish was visibly hurt, but endured the pain. After making sure her pokémon was still fired up, Mallory ordered another move, trying a new approach. "Leech Seed!"

Taking advantage of the cooldown Quilava was using to rest his hind legs after the Quick Attack, the seeds latched on to the fire-type, vines stemming from them until they wrapped his entire torso, visibly sapping away at his vitality. A hurt groan left his throat as a flash of pain crossed his face.

"Good job!" Mallory reiterated, praising her partner pokémon. "Now, Tackle!" Shroomish assented with a quick hop before running in, tackling his opponent as he flew a bit backwards, rolling before standing back up, his background being the almost clear image of the smoke lifting.

Pumped at the turned tables, Mallory rose her fist in the air, basking in the cheers she heard coming from Sarah and Shawn on the side. "Don't get careless now!" Sarah advised, as she noticed the Gym Leader had settled on a strategy to counterattack.

"Flame Wheel!" Dirk ordered, and Quilava jumped in the air as the vines grew a bit tighter, starting a somersault as he became enveloped in flames and dropped to the floor, now a true wheel of fire, running in Shroomish's direction.

"D-Dodge!" Mallory shouted, as Shroomish barely managed to avoid the incoming super effective attack. The two opponents on Mallory's side of the field, Quilava's Flame Wheel subsided, making the blue and cream quadruped appear once again behind his guise of flames.

Noticing something amiss, Shawn quickly made a detail known. "Th-The Leech Seed's gone!"

Brought to her attention, Mallory and Sarah took no time to notice it as well. "The Flame Wheel burned the vines away!?" Mallory concluded aloud.

"I see you've noticed!" Dirk responded with a short laugh. "Indeed, the Leech Seed is but a normal grass-type move. Nothing against Quilava's flames!"

"And here I thought we'd be golden after the vines grew around the fire spurts on his back..." Mallory thought to herself, biting her bottom lip.

Dirk rose his arm, fingers spread out. "Flame Wheel!"

Before Mallory could conjure a new strategy, Shroomish was too slow to dodge the fire-type move, resulting in direct contact, making the grass-type fly off the arena. With a low, weak groan of pain, Shroomish slowly came to his senses, standing on his two shivering legs before falling backwards once again, this time unable to stand back up.

After a few instants, Kyle nodded and declared the end of the match. "Shroomish is, as of right now, unable to continue battling! That means the victory goes to the Gym Leader of Ecruteak City's Gym, Dirk, and the challenger has lost the battle!"

* * *

 **GYM BATTLE END!  
Victory goes to Dirk Hargrove!**

* * *

"Shroomish!" Mallory entered the arena, holding her partner in her arms before discerning he had fainted, rendering him unable to fight. That, coupled with Kyle's announcement, had made the sad truth settle - she had lost once again. With a sigh, she held a pokéball in her hand and tapped it against the grass-type's top. "Good job, partner." she comforted as she saw the red energy being trapped inside the ball again.

A few other sets of footprints approached Mallory before she could take notice. Her head raising as the shadows came closer, she saw all people present gathered around her. "That was a good match!" Sarah commented, trying to keep an air of positivity she knew she wouldn't be able to maintain were she the one to lose.

"Good!?" Shawn repeated, incredulously. "It was amazing! Lasting that long against a stronger pokémon with a type advantage over you!? Unreal, Mal!"

A bit taken aback by the praise, she gave her friends a thumbs-up. "Thanks, guys!" she thanked her friends, her usual vigor and strength unfazed. Turning to the Gym Leader, she added "Thank you so much for the battle, Mr. Dirk! I had a blast!"

"You were quite the challenger, I must say." he laughed. "I hope to rematch you sometime, when you grow stronger, and maybe have a couple more pokémon to fight against me. You've got the potential, Mallory, you just need the experience!" he praised, before being sure to add a little nudge to the teenagers' younger days. "You've grown into a fine young trainer, I must say. Nothing like the bratty little girl I knew you as. You're maturing, both of you!"

"D-Dad..." Shawn scratched his scalp, before laughing it off, a bit embarrassed.

Mirroring his son's laughter, Dirk shook his head. "I suggest you go to the Center and let Shroomish rest."

"Lava!" the fire-type agreed, making all eyes turn to him, his stern, mature eyes remaining just that after gaining the sudden attention.

"And after that... how about I treat all of us to dinner tonight?" Dirk offered, being sure to include Kyle and Sarah along for the invitation. After being met with unanimous consent, he smiled, a bit resenftul of his own offer. He hadn't remembered how much of an eater Shawn was in his youth - a trait he'd yet to lose.

Following Mallory to the door, Shawn asked. "Hey, Mal? What are we gonna do now?"

"I want to go to Mahogany Town already!" she immediately replied. Shawn's eyes widened in response, as he wasn't expecting that to be her answer. "What? I want to become stronger so I can defeat Mr. Dirk!" she explained, making her friend a little more at ease.

"The Mahogany Meeting is coming up too... so we really should get going soon-ish." he reminded, being met with a smile from the purple-haired girl.

"Then what are we waiting for!?" she enthused. "We're making our way there first thing in the morning!"

Shawn felt his chest tighten at Mallory's idea. "But... what about my dad? And... And our sleep schedule?"

"Trainers like us have no time to waste with puny little hours of rest! Six hours make for a good battery recharge!" Mallory warned, asserting her own suggestion as what would happen, something Shawn didn't feel like fighting against.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Sarah called from the inside of the Gym, after bidding Kyle and Dirk farewell. "What's the matter, Shawn?" she asked, noticing his pale face.

"N-Nothing..." he shrugged, before leading the way to the Pokémon Center. "I'm gonna be sleeping all afternoon and I won't be bothered by any of you, you hear?"

The wandering battler's gaze crossed Mallory's for a second, and both of them shrugged - the latter hiding what had happened from the former for the time being. The day had barely begun, but they were already planning what to do next.

Mahogany Town awaited the three teenagers.

* * *

 **~ CHAPTER 3: END ~**

* * *

 **New Characters:**

 _ **Kyle** , submitted by me!_

 ** _Dirk's Quilava_**

* * *

 **A/N: Unfortunately, it seems like Mal's first Gym Battle didn't go so _hot,_ now did it? Nevertheless, more challenges and battles are on the horizon and that girl's enthusiasm and bravery just doesn't let up! The Mahogany Gym and the Mahogany Meeting are both our protagonists' next challenge - with Sarah tagging along for the ride!**

 **What did you think of the chapter? Leave a review!**

 **Until next update, happy writing and... Yamazaki out!**


	5. Chapter 4: Crossing Mt Mortar!

**A/N: So sorry for the month-long hiatus on this story (and IIDW, if you're keeping up with that as well!). Although I'll have to admit part of it was writer's block, I didn't have the easiest time keeping up with school and two stories at the same time. That being said, I'm a lot lighter on school work as of right now, so stay tuned for some more regular updates (hopefully).**

 **I'll have a pretty tough month with finals and the like coming up, but I'll try to update a little more regularly nonetheless. I missed writing! Also, I'm searching for one E4 member and one champion to complete the roster - if anyone's still interested in submitting.**

 **Now, enough with the rant... happy reading!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: Crossing Mt. Mortar! Shroomish VS. Aron!**

* * *

Gone from the Pokémon Center as a few rays of sunlight squeezed in through the clouds that roamed the skies above the city of Ecruteak, Shawn, Mallory and Sarah eyed the path ahead with similar expressions. Shawn had a slight smile on his face, contemplating the mountain that they would have to traverse in order to reach Mahogany Town - Mt. Mortar - not making his own enthusiasm justice as his grin was more of a soft smirk. Sarah had her thumb pressed against the strap of her bag, hanging from her shoulder with a content yet calm expression. Mallory on the other hand was positively giddy, a toothy grin and a furrowed brow being her more prominent characteristics.

"Talk about excited." Sarah commented, elbowing Shawn's side, who flinched at the hit. "Oops, sorry!"

Shawn shook his head, apologizing for his jump before lowly replying. "She was just like that before we left Veilstone, too... You'll grow used to it, though! I bet she'll do just the same when we leave Mahogany!"

"And I'll do the same when we leave every other town and city we visit! Because every single step on his journey is a step towards challenges and adventure!" Mallory completed her friend's thought, making both him and the battler next to him look at her with wide eyes.

"Y-You heard that?" Shawn asked.

Mallory looked over her shoulder, shooting a glare at the couple behind her. "You're a foot away from me, what do you take me for?" she sassed, before giggling a bit. "Now, let's go! What are we waiting for!?"

Taking the first step, the purple-haired girl led the way forward, hearing footsteps behind her signalling her partners were following suit. In front of them, a cave started focusing into view, inviting them to start their trek through the mountain, and reaching the opposite end of it, in order to reach Mahogany Town.

The three teenagers had only just entered a slightly deeper part of the cave, where sunlight grew dim enough to make it legitimately difficult to tread safely, when a loud scream made two of them turn around suddenly, frightened. "AAAAAAAH!" Mallory, who had fallen behind after stopping to bring Shroomish outside, shrieked.

"A-Agh!" Shawn reacted, unaware of what made his friend scream. "I-Is everything okay, Mal!?" he asked, restless.

A few seconds later, a sigh of relief was heard in the darkness, and Mallory stood up. "Oof!" she sighed in relief and chuckled. "Forget it! It was only water." she explained as she patted her shoulder, a drop of fresh water seeping into her clothes.

"W-Water?" Sarah inquired, curiously. Looking around as if that'd make any worthwhile difference, she tried to find her way towards any nearby source of water, but came up short of finding anything of the sort. "I'm not seeing anything..." she commented the obvious as she helplessly felt her way along the walls.

Shawn was quick to join her, as he felt like a source of water would be a good place to mark as a checkpoint in case they'd gotten lost. "I'm not feeling anything." he remarked, careful to not commit the same blunder as Sarah. "W-Wait, I know!"

In the darkness, Mallory could hear Shawn shuffle through something, Sarah feeling a little weight on her shoulder. As he felt his way through her belongings, Shawn grabbed a round object from Sarah's bag and lifted it victoriously. "Uh... Shawn...?" the battler called, threateningly. "What are you doing...?"

"U-Uh! I'm sorry!" he jumped backwards, the round object falling from his hand as he rose his arms defensively. As the sound of the ball hitting ground reached the trio's ears, a proudful bark cut it off. "First? That you buddy?"

"First?" Mallory knelt down and hoped to find the dog-like pokémon as she crawled through the floor, feeling her way towards the sound.

Finally understanding Shawn's idea - or so she hoped - Sarah ordered her partner. "First, use Flamethrower please." she requested, before adding. "Not too strong though! Just give us a little flame."

Although he couldn't be seen, First barked in response before producing a small, continuous spurt of flame that acted as- "A torch!" Mallory noticed, her face inches away from Shawn's knees. Looking to the right, she spied Sarah's knees and to her left, First looked at her happily, being careful not to let the fire he was spewing subside. Patting her own knees to feel the scrapes and scrubbing some dirt off, she got back to her feet.

"Great idea, huh?" Shawn pressed his knuckles to his hips and puffed his chest, posing heroically, waiting for both her partners to praise his idea.

Sarah's eyes squinted as she glared at him. "You could have asked." she spat, in a clearly menacing tone, making Shawn flinch. "I hope you didn't touch _anything_ else." she added, emphasizing the anything in her sentence.

"N-No, ma'am! I'm sorry!" he apologized, back slumping as he noticed how intrusive he was on his approach to his idea. "A-Anyway, hi there, First!" The dog-like pokémon only closed his eyes in return, sketching a smile all the while trying to keep his mouth open. "Sorry, just keep up the flame!"

Mallory grabbed Shroomish from the ground, cradling him in her arms. "Couldn't Amber do the same thing though?"

"Amber's fire-type moves are pretty limited. She only knows Ember." he explained. "And Amber's Ember doesn't really help in lighting anything... unless there's something to light."

"Heh!" Mallory let out a short laugh, wiping a fake tear off of her eye with her finger. "Amber's Ember. Gets me every time."

Starting to lead the group forward after the short stop, Sarah quickly stopped herself and looked back at the ceiling, where the group wanted to investigate before the tangent they went off on. Sure enough, the battler noticed water dripping down from the rocks above, which would explain the drip that fell on Mallory a couple of minutes prior. Curiosity satiated, the trio continued. "Hey, Shawn? You never told me what other moves Amber could use. You only used Ember back at the Tournament."

"She's got Ember, Quick Attack and Secret Power!" Shawn revealed, emphasizing the last one - a move passed onto his pokémon by her mother, Dirk's Ninetales.

"Secret Power?" Sarah repeated. "That's awesome! It's a really versatile move, and it looks awesome too! The user glows pink or something, right?"

Shawn nodded in response, adding some other trivia about the move. "Yes! And it's useful in battle as well. It changes effects and types depending on the terrain it's used on. Some theorists explain this phenomenon as a way to rate a pokémon's bond with nature and its surroundings. According to a few specialists in Veilstone, Amber's a special case."

Curious once again, Sarah couldn't help but ask. "In what way?"

"She's a rare case where, although none of her parents were able to use Secret Power too well, Amber can use it to its fullest potential! Her attack packs quite a punch too." Shawn explained. "Wanna see?"

"Sure." Sarah voiced with a devilish interest as she approached Shawn, shoving her hand in his bag before taking a pokéball from its insides. "Is it this one?"

"Yes!" Shawn smiled. Taken aback by his lack of reaction to people fussing through his belongings, Sarah furrowed her brows before calling Amber outside, making the group grow larger still.

As the energy grew into the Vulpix's form, Amber gave out a soft cry, greeting everyone present. "Piiiix!" she yawned, being awakened from her previous rest.

"Hi, Amber!" Shawn knelt down and gave his pokémon a peck on the forehead, making her smile in response, licking the boy's chin in response. A small chuckle later, Shawn pushed himself away, gaining a bit of distance between himself and his partner, before explaining. "Sarah there wasnts to see you use Secret Power. Can you?"

A resolute expression crossed Amber's face as she nodded, proud to use an attack she didn't use too often.

"Aaaaalright!" the buzzcut boy cheered, before stepping back and pointing to the path ahead of them. "Go ahead, Amber, Secret Power!"

The fox pokémon started gaining a pink glow, the shade of it melding with the orange fur on her body to create a beautiful peach-coloured armor of light around her. As the energy grew denser, Amber focused it on a spot in front of her, sending out a shot of pink light forward as the glow dissipated quickly. The attack grew larger, enveloping a big part of the tunnel ahead, before materializing into a different attack.

Rocks started falling from the ceiling, leaving an indentation on the top part of the tunnel, and covering the way forward with dust. As the way was cleared, a sudden flash of darkness was noticed made everyone's attention shift to First for a second, who had just renewed the makeshift torch they were using to traverse the mountain. As they turned back forward, they were met by a less-than-stellar view, however. Namely, a dead end.

"That wall wasn't there before, was it?" Mallory pointed out. "Did it just materialize!? Are we being targeted by a malevolent ground-type master!?" she theorized in a panic, before throwing some other suggestions Shawn and Sarah didn't bother to understand, as they were too frenzied to listen to her. Mallory, meanwhile, grew more excited in tone with every passing theory.

"We're stuck!" Sarah stated, looking up. "And... it seems like the rocks came from..."

"The Secret Power!" Shawn shouted, facepalming. "I should've known..." he complained, mentally slapping himself for the rookie mistake he'd made. "Secret Power turns into Rock Tomb while inside caves, tunnels and mountains. Most rocky terrains, actually."

Sarah turned around to face him, looking him with fear in her eyes. "And you used it anyway!?"

"Y-You asked for me to do it!"

The battler opened her mouth to throw a counterargument Shawn's way, but ended up coming short of one. He was right, after all. Sarah was every bit as guilty as he was - she knew the effects, she just didn't remember.

"Hey, hey, you two!" Mallory noticed, stopping the argument before it escalated. "Look!" she gestured with an index finger to the indentation where the rocks were previously, before barring the way forward. Looking upwards, the rocks were apparently the floor of an upper level of the tunnel. "There's a passage up there, right?"

Impulsively, the gym challenger jumped towards the newly formed mound of rocks, trying to find her footing and climb up. A bit reluctant to follow suit, Sarah eventually made her way upwards, First and Shroomish jumping up behind her. Amber, still a bit embarassed of what happened, followed suit, leaving Shawn alone in the ground level. "H-Hey, can't we just, like, move the rocks out of the way!? We don't know where that leads! We might get lost!"

"Where's your sense of adventure, Shawn Hargrove!?" Mallory shouted from the upper floor, now being lit up by First's flames. The two pokémon who hadn't gotten their mouths occupied cried out in unison, their callings echoing in the walls. "Come up here, or we're going off without you!"

Trying to push him further, Sarah added. "And we're taking First's fire along with us!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Shawn quickly replied, starting to climb up. "This is a bad idea... I thought you were more responsible than this, Sarah."

Again, Sarah tried to refute his claim, but ended up shrugging and continuing on. In the darkness ahead, something growled at the trio, and a pair of big blue circles appeared, almost as if they were two eyes directed at the trio. The three stopped in shock, frightful of the origin of the glowy orbs.

"Rooooooooon." a deep, threatening cry rang in the teenagers' ears, making them take a step back instinctively. Mallory was the first to take a second step forward, making the figure in front of her take another step back, crying out menacingly, no doubt trying to chase the humans away. "Rooooooon!"

"Aw!" Mallory swooned as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Guys, come over here!"

The sudden movement from the teenagers caught the pokémon off-guard, and he wasn't able to dodge First's light before it reached him, rendering him visible for a few moments. The group saw a small, light-grey, sturdy metallic pokémon ahead, with bright blue eyes and dark holes all over its steely back. He was a quadruped, resting its oval body upon four stubby legs. "An Aron!" Shawn deduced, after matching the cry he heard with the quick image he saw then.

"Aron!?" the purple-haired girl repeated. "That's _such_ an awesome pokémon! He looks really cool!" she praised, making the pokémon in front of her flinch, and groan once again, before erupting into a full sprint, his head glowing a dark grey. "W-Watch out!"

The pokémon's stumpy legs couldn't get him fast enough, and he ended up missing his target, the trainer's Shroomish. "Roooon, rooooon!" he groaned menacingly, the deep voice he produced contradicting his small frame in a way it was almost funny.

"He just used Iron Head!" Shawn noted. Noticing the wild pokémon's stance, and his gaze towards the grass-type in front of him, who looked at him in a derpy disbelief, he could only come to one conclusion. "He... He looks like he wants to battle Shroomish?"

Mallory eyed the steel-type's expression, an air of stern seriousness in his rigid face, visible by his eyes. "That's awesome! And he's such a cute pokémon!"

"Roooooooon!" he stomped in protest.

"Hm..." Sarah interjected, stepping back in order to not anger the Aron any further. "He doesn't look too pleased."

"I know!" Mallory cheered. "And he looks adorable while he's at it too!"

"ROOOOOOOON!" he protested harder, readying himself for a second attack, directed at the girl herself this time.

Seeing the trajectory he was looking at as his head started lighting up the surrounding area, Shawn warned his friend of the danger. "He doesn't seem to like when he's called cute, Mal! And he's about to show you that he doesn't!"

"Huh?" Mallory tilted her head, bewildered. "Who doesn't like that? And especially because he really is charming! He probably gets loads of compliments by the female Aron around there parts!"

Sick of waiting, the rock-type started running again, this time in Mallory's direction, using the same attack he had just used against the unsuspecting Shroomish. A quick step to the right had Aron's eyes widening as he failed to hit the brakes in time, hitting the wall behind Mallory before he could stop his momentum.

A crack appeared in the wall he hit, growing upwards before it reached the ceiling, where a loose rock was knocked down, falling right on top of the stunned Aron's head, almost in a cartoon-ish fashion.

"Huh. What are the odds?" Shawn commented. "Is he okay?"

Mallory bent over slightly to check on the wild pokémon, and noticed he was conscious, just struggling to get up. "Looks fine. He's got a hard head, no way a tiny pebble would hurt him too bad."

"That wasn't a small pebble, Mallory." Approaching the small pokémon, Sarah and Shawn knelt down, their pokémon behind them, and analyzed the situation. "Hm... what gives?" Sarah asked rethorically. "Why did he just attack us?"

"Mal riled him up by calling him cute maybe?" Shawn suggested, but the battler shook her head.

"It's by himself." Mallory noticed. "Maybe it's just lost from the rest of the Aron in the area? And it's scared?"

Thinking back to Aron's biology and behavior, as he'd learnt previously, Shawn started to think about whether or not his friend's idea was correct. "Aron do tend to travel in packs, so it's a bit weird to see one of them wandering through tunnels by himself." he explained, catching a detail he hadn't pondered before. Looking around, he asked. "Speaking of which, why are these tunnels even here? It should be a straight road from the Ecruteak side of the mountain to the Mahogany side."

"Maybe these are for some mining operation?" Sarah thought, but shrugged it off, focusing back on the pokémon. Shuffling things around in her bag, she searched for some medicine she could apply on the hurt pokémon's head.

"Likely..." Shawn concluded, after thinking about it for a moment. "Mt. Mortar isn't really too rich in minerals anymore, but a few years ago, Mahogany Town had a successful mining business around here. Maybe we're looking at the remnants of it?"

A quick shrug later, Mallory crossed her arms and looked to the older girl below her. "Sarah, shouldn't we get going?"

"And leave this poor Aron alone?" Sarah thought aloud, looking up at Mallory who was impatiently tapping her finger against the side of her torso. Looking back at the rock-type who was submissively accepting the girl's aid, she stood up. "He'll be fine... I've done all I could, after all."

"Yeah!" Mallory insisted. "With that medicine, he'll be up and running in no time at all! Besides... it's a wild pokémon. They're used to rougher environments."

Rolling his eyes, Shawn retorted. "That's no excuse to leave them hurt out in the wild, you know? Should we take him?"

"I wouldn't go that far. He's pretty resilient, and the medicine should work alright." Sarah assured. "We're good to go!"

Looking either way of the tunnel they'd found themselves in, the group first noticed the hole in the ground. A few accusatory looks at Shawn, Amber or Sarah later, the group turned back and headed forward, passing by the Aron, who was still lying down on the side.

A few steps forward later, illuminated by the fire-type companion, Shawn couldn't help but notice that the tunnel became longer and longer, the linear path seeming endless from his current point of view.

"Can we hurry up?" Mallory complained, walking forward with an increasingly faster pace, Shroomish struggling to keep up the pace.

Shawn hurried along, Sarah close behind him in order to keep up with the purple-haired girl, but retorted to the girl's groans. "C'mon, Mal, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey!" he said, knowing full well that he was the one who got the group into the mess that'd forced them to take this detour.

"Yeah! Even if the journey's unnecessarily long-winded because of a certain foxymon, right Amber?" Sarah joked, poking her tongue out at Amber. The fox pokémon's head drooped down, in sync with her trainer's as they both slumped, walking speed decreasing ever so slightly. "N-No hard feelings! This cave's... nice."

"Right." Shawn shrugged as First renewed his Flamethrower torch. "A damp linear cave with no sunlight and wild Aron roaming around trying to break our ankles. Glad we took the scenic route!" he added sarcastically with an annoyed smile on his face, eyes squinting. Not noticing his partner's eyelids drooping, giving the Vulpix a saddened expression, the coordinator-to-be sighed and excused himself. "Sorry... You were trying to make me feel better."

Sarah, initially a bit taken aback by the buzzcut boy's reaction, took his apology to heart and smiled warmly back at him. "That's fine. We're under a bit of stress after being inside for so long."

"It hasn't been that long, has it? A few minutes. No more than half an hour, I'd say." Shawn estimated before looking at Mallory, the light source they'd been using being cut off with a cough and a groan, followed by a loud thud.

"F-First!?" Sarah called, worrying for her partner in the now pitch-black cavern. "First!" she called again, but was only met by a hurt groan.

With an annoyed groan, Mallory was the one to cut Sarah's calls short. "Who turned off the lights!?"

"Shroooooooooooom!" a cold, hard surface scraped Mallory's ankle, making her flinch at the freezing steel as she listened to her partner fly off into the path beyond, his position unknown.

"Shroomish!" Mallory started calling, mimicking the battler who had kept up.

A dim light started to fly off towards the back of the cave, coming from behind the trainers. Looking over her shoulder, Sarah eyed as Amber pelted fireballs out of her mouth, giving the squad just enough light to look around them. Taking advantage of the light she'd been given, Mallory joined the older girl in searching, but not before bumping into a rock on the way - a cold, steely rock.

"Rooooon!" a familiar voice groaned aggressively, as if he knew exactly where everyone was. A quick flurry of steps could be heard speeding off to the front, and another groan exited the grass type's mouth. "Ron!" he cheered.

"It's that Aron!" Shawn concluded as he noticed the shadow right after the impact.

"First!" Sarah voiced as she pet her loyal partner on the head, making him resume torch-duty to leave Amber ready for any impact. The light around them became uniform and brightened up their surroundings much better, making the steel-type's figure sharper.

Mallory eyed the rock-type in front of her with malice in her eyes, unable to take the hit lying down - much like Shroomish was, struggling to get back to his feet. "You little..." Noticing the gym challenger as she charged towards him, ready to push him away, Aron steeled himself and started running in the other direction, but was unable to divert Mallory's attention. "Oh, no you don't!" she threatened, running off into the unknown in front of her. "Guys, keep up!"

"O-Oh goddamnit..." Shawn rolled his eyes before grabbing Amber and speeding off behind the pokémon and trainer, Sarah next to him, only stopping to grab Shroomish and cradling him in her arms, First's quadruped figure giving him more easy access to Mallory's speed.

Shroomish looked at the girl in front of her, running frantically in the cave, narrowly missing some of the unexpected bumps and puddles of water she'd come across, giving the grass-type a bit of anxiety as she crossed the rocky hall.

Suddenly, Aron stopped. Forcing his stubby legs into a jump, he dove head first into the ground, making it so the ground below him collapsed on himself and onto the floor below. Unable to stop her momentum, Mallory tried her best to hit the breaks, but slipped on the hole the rock-type made to escape, falling down to a lower level.

"Ow..." Mallory groaned bitterly, being met by something unexpected - light. Not sunlight, by any means, but genuine light. Looking around as she massaged her backside, she could infer the light came from the lamps scattered on the cave's walls, hung from a thick nail by means of a string, rope attaching each lamp to each other. Looking either way, she saw the pokémon who'd forced her down eyeing her with an expressionless face.

Feeling taunted, the red-eyed girl wasted no time in standing back up, diving head-first into a sprint as Aron resumed his escape. "Mallory!" Sarah called from the floor above, before carefully jumping down - it wasn't that big of a fall, if you were expecting it. "She totally ignored me..." she commented the obvious before acknowledging the elephant in the room. "W-Wait... lamps?" she asked herself.

"No time for that!" Shawn shouted, eyes wide as he went back to tailing his friend, Sarah having no choice but to keep up, her platinum blond ponytail skipping around as she sprinted away next to the coordinator. "Mal! Mal!" he called, but ultimately got no response.

Not needed anymore, First's Flamethrower subsided without need for his trainer to interfere, and the dog pokémon kept up with the two trainers - a task made much easier by the fact that he'd no longer need to focus on lighting the way.

The path became lighter and lighter with every step, something that made perfect sense once Shawn and Sarah turned at one of the very few corners they'd encounted thus far, making a right before exiting into a sun-kissed road, trees dotting the not-so-far landscape, and a body of water to their right. "Mal!" Shawn called. "This is... the exit?" he concluded, a bit uncertain of his own thoughts at first.

Completely oblivious to Sarah and Shawn's arrival, Mallory hissed as the Aron in front of her adopted a battle stance, a smirk visible on his eyes. "You little punk... cheater!" the trainer spat, anger bubbling in her throat. "I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Shroom!" Shroomish jumped off of Sarah's arms, much to her surprise, leaving her grey hoodie exposed. Reaching his arm out to stop him, the coordinator was stopped by the battler next.

Sarah simply shook his head, without crossing eyes, and looked forward. "I think they're gonna battle..."

Taking a logical look at the situation, Shawn arrived at that same conclusion, but a bit shaken by the sudden happenings. "We've been in that cave, running around for just under an hour... and she's gonna battle?"

"You're the one who told me she's a bottomless pit of energy, huh?" Sarah teased, and Shawn shrugged, nodding.

"I was waiting for you, buddy!" Mallory voiced, a smirk growing on her face. "Let's do this... I'll beat this punk and teach him a lesson! Cheaters never win!"

* * *

 **BATTLE BEGIN!**

 _ **Mallory Pixiehale + Shroomish  
VS  
Aron (Wild)**_

* * *

"Alriiiiiiiiight!" Mallory pumped herself up, raising her fist in the air and pulling it down to her side before stretching her finger and pointing at the wild pokémon in front of her. "Shroomish, let's make this quick! Bullet Seed!"

The grass-type complied, and tensed his mouth for a second before spewing glowing seeds in his opponent's direction. Steeling himself once again, Aron withstood the hit and kept standing, almost as if he was unfazed by the hit.

"H-Huh!?" the trainer's eyes widened as her adversary seemed to shrug off the impact of her partner's Bullet Seed. "This guy's a rock-type... this should've knocked him clean out!" she complained, skipping in place.

"Aron's a steel-type as well, Mallory!" Sarah shouted, aiding her friend in devising a new strategy, but ultimately just contributed to the purple-haired girl's fury.

"Uuuuuuugh!" she groaned loudly, before stomping her right foot on the ground, brows furrowed. "Cheater! Unfair! I'll teach you something, alright... Bullet Seed, again!"

After history had repeated itself two more times, to similar effects, Mallory let out a final groan before being forced to think of a new approach to take. As she thought, Aron's hind leg started to move, twitching against the ground as Aron's expression turned sour. Like a rabid Tauros, he charged forward towards Shroomish, leaving him unable to dodge the quick attack.

Shawn couldn't help but gasp as Shroomish flew a few feet off the imaginary boundaries of a battlefield he'd drawn in his mind. "That was a brutal Headbutt..." he commented, and Sarah couldn't help but nod in response, agreeing with the coordinator's opinion.

"Shroomish, you okay!?" Mallory called, and her partner stood up with ease, withstanding another one of Aron's attacks, even if he hadn't had time to recover from his previous injuries. "Good going, buddy. Now..." Mallory's adrenaline spiked, rendering her unable to make coherent strategies in her mind. "Tackle!"

A bit scared of the outcome, the grass-type sprinted towards the steel-type, bumping into his opponent, knocking him back a bit, but not without hurting himself on the impact.

"Diving headfirst into a tough-skinned opponent isn't the way to go, Mallory... c'mon, think!" Mallory thought for a few seconds before noticing something that might change the tide of battle. Looking to her right, left and back to the opponent in the center, the girl smirked as a new plan had shown itself. "Shroomish, start running laps around Aron!"

The stubby-legged pokémon, readying himself for another Tackle, took a second before obeying his trainer's orders, using what speed he could muster to run increasingly quicker laps around Aron, who was becoming visibly dizzier and more confused.

Bewildered, Shawn couldn't help but ask himself what his friend could be doing. Eyeing Sarah for any suggestions, she shrugged, as she seemed to be at just as much of an impass as him. Looking down, the two trainers observed as Amber and First eyed the battle with fire in their eyes, not thinking too hard on what was happening, but still cheering from their friend's victory.

"Now! Tackle!" Shroomish, who had been careful to any orders his trainer gave out, made a quick turn to the right - as that was where his opponent stood - and charged at him with all the strength he had, making for a direct impact on the rock-type's side, sending him rocketing forward and diving straight into the body of water to the right of the tunnel.

Struggling to keep himself buoyant because of the weight, Aron flailed his four stubby legs as he descended under the pressure of his own body, before becoming completely submerged in the body of water, no sign of the steel-type aside from the bubbles that indicated his breathing.

Slowly, the bubbles became weaker and rarer, signifying Aron was rapidly losing strength and air. "Okay! Shawn, Sarah, lend me a hand here!" Mallory cheered before sprinting over to the pond, kneeling at the shore to look inside it, paying close attention to the spot where Aron fell.

"M-Mal, don't stand there, that poor Aron's going to drown!" Shawn panicked, taking his black tanktop off and throwing it to the ground behind him, before diving down and picking the rock-type up. Surprised by how light he was in comparison to what he imagined, Shawn trudged along the climbable shore and eventually emerged, leaving the water with wet hair and skin and a big gasp, for fresh air.

Studying the fainted pokémon more closely, Sarah's eyes widened in shock as the white and gray pokémon turned a sudden shade of red before vanishing. "Wh-What?" she voiced as she noticed a sphere twitching on the ground.

* * *

 **BATTLE END!  
Victory goes to Mallory Pixiehale!**

 **1... 2... 3... _Gotcha!_  
Aron was caught!**

* * *

"Booyah!" Mallory cheered as she picked up the pokéball she had just thrown, and tossed it upwards, grabbing it back in midair with a content expression on her face."I caught an Aron, you guys!"

A few seconds of shocked silence ensued. "But... you just called that thing a cheater... and you were stupid mad at him not long ago." Sarah failed to comprehend Mallory's reasoning.

"I said I'd teach him a lesson!" Mallory explained, not losing her original enthusiasm. "And what better way to teach him than to tutor him every single day?"

Shawn wasn't as shocked as the battler next to him, nor as the fox pokémon tugging at his wet feet, but the buzzcut boy was still taken aback by his friend's decision. Then again, what'd been done, had been done, and there was nothing to do about it now.

"Sounds like our circle of friends grew a little bit, right!?" Mallory winked, gripping her newly caught partner in her hand, Shroomish jumping slightly in a mixture of joy and surprise. He had just helped his trainer and friend catching a pokémon, after all.

* * *

 **~ CHAPTER 4: END ~**

* * *

 **New Characters:**

 _ **Mallory's Aron**_


	6. Chapter 5: Poacher Alert!

**CHAPTER 5: Poacher Alert! An Oricorio Smuggling Ring!?**

* * *

The towering peaks of Mt. Mortar behind them, Shawn, Sarah and Mallory kept trudging along the beaten path, a new companion by their side. A giddy smile of excitement plastered on her face, the gym challenger walked the road with glee, humming along to an improvised tune and she felt the press of a new pokéball on her back. Shawn couldn't help but feel a mix of prid and happiness over his friend's small victory, and Sarah was quick to mirror the sentiment.

Noticing the wind getting a bit chillier, and the skies a bit darker, Shawn stopped in his tracks, turning to his left to find some shelter. Cocking her head towards him, Mallory pouted and slumped. "Hey!" she called. "Why're you stopping for? Mahogany can't be too far away from here!" she insisted, trying to push forward a little more.

"According to the map..." Sarah started, fetching the map from her bag and holding it, arms out-stretched and eyes squinted to focus on the more minute details of the picture. "If we keep up our pace, we'd only be there by sunrise tomorrow... and that's only if we don't get tired out from lack of sleep."

"Damn iiiiiit!" Mallory complained, conceding. "Fine, let's rest up..."

Sarah smiled and looked back at the map. "We should find a clearing where we can rest..." she added, trying to find a lighter spot on the big green blob the map had marked as woods.

Curious about the way she was reading the map, Shawn asked the battler. "Um... Sarah?" her head cocked up, her attention turning to Shawn. "Why are you holding the map like that?"

Taking a moment to understand the coordinator's question, Sarah gasped in realization and snorted, the sides of her thumbs pressed against each other as she held the now folded map. Looking away, she reopened the map and kept searching as if she didn't hear the boy's question. "So... um, about that clearing!" she changed topics indiscreetly, confusing the two friends.

"Do you not want to talk about it?" Shawn realized, wanting to make absolutely sure of his thought.

"About what?" Sarah responded quickly, faking obliviousness. "I didn't hear a thing... I'm sure it wasn't too important anyway, was it?" she added, before trailing off again, into the woods. "Um, sooo... clearing, clearing, clearing..."

Exchanging a small glance of confusion, Shawn turned around to see the battler advancing deeper into the forest. "Weird..." Shawn commented, low enough for Sarah not to hear, as Mallory approached and helped him onto his feet. "You think I said something wrong?"

"Nahhhh!" the purple-haired girl closed her eyes and vined her fingers together behind her head, resting the back of it on the palm of her hands. "She's probably tired, is all. No one would make a fuss over the way they follow a map!" Following the battler before she disappeared from view, the red-eyed girl added. "I think so, anyway."

Pondering over what could be the problem, Shawn shrugged it off and followed suit, the two girls not far in front of him. A few minutes of walking later, the group found themselves at the clearing they'd be hoping to find and set up camp there. The surrounding space was near-circular, and had a convenient pond where they could freshen up a few feet away from where they set up camp.

As the sky darkened, Shawn sat near the pond, sinking his bare feet into the clear water and splashing around. Hearing the noise of the water, Amber exited her pokéball, gaining Sarah and Mallory's attention who were talking to each other, sat on top of their respective sleeping bags. As the fox pokémon ran towards her trainer, the girls went back to their conversation, leaving the boy and his partner to talk. "Hi, buddy..."

"Pix!" the Vulpix replied, a smile on her face as she climbed atop the boy's thighs, letting herself rest on his lap. As the boy started petting his partner, Amber couldn't help but rub her own head on the buzzcut boy's hand, feeling the soft, familiar palm.

"How've you been?" Shawn asked, attention shifting as he went to look at the moonlit pond. "It's been a fun few days, right? The trip from Sinnoh here, the Ecruteak tournament, Mallory challenging Dad, and the trip through Mt. Mortar too..." he listed, recalling the memories he made during the couple of days he'd been on the journey. "We met Sarah too. And Kaleaf, and those people at the tournament... A wild start, huh?"

Vulpix snuggled closer on the boy's lap, making him smile. A few short instants of silence ensued before Shawn heard a rustle to his left. Cocking his head to the right, opposite the noise, he noticed that Sarah and Mallory had also been alerted. Amber jumped off her trainer's legs, and he stood up, bending over forward slightly to stretch his legs.

"You guys heard that too, right?" Sarah questioned, the friends nodding in response. "Should we go check it out?"

"Like hell we should!" Shawn was quick to retort, visibly frightened, approaching the two girls. "Don't you guys see horror movies? Three teenagers in a forest, at night, weird noises start being heard... it's a common premise, and it'll probably end with us being possessed and taken to the underworld by a wild Dusknoir!"

Silence filled the air for a few seconds, not even the rustling of the trees in the wind daring to ruin the moment as the two girls stared at Shawn in disbelief at his cowardice. "I am never letting you see any horror movie again." Mallory stated plainly, getting up from her criss-crossed-legs position and slowly going towards the bushes.

"Mal!" Shawn called, but was silenced by Mallory, who turned around, the side of her index finger pressed against her lips.

Curious, Sarah paced behind Mallory in a spy-like quietness, before turning around. "If you're scared, stay back here and keep our belongings in sight!" she whisper-shouted before going back to following the red-eyed girl.

Shawn, who didn't want to be seen as a coward any more than he'd already was, was happy to have an excuse to stay behind, although a bit worried about his travel companions' fates. Keeping a distant eye on them, he saw the two girls going forward, slowly and quietly approaching the previously rustling bushes.

"Ah!" Sarah screamed reflexively as a red blur sprinted from one bush to the next, going around the perimeter of the clearing. Chasing the noisy blur around, they quickly found themselves starting to run a lap around the circle, approaching Shawn before it turned around, going the opposite way around, but keeping to the bushes and trees around the clearing.

A couple of minutes of curious chasing later, a shrill cry for help and a small thud could be heard, as if the blur had tired itself out and fallen. Taking advantage of it, Mallory sped up and found what was causing all of the noise - a wounded red bird-like pokémon, with a metal collar around his neck, lines of black feathers on his wings.

"D-Don't look it straight in the eyes!" Shawn warned, cautious of the ghost-type. "It'll steal your soul away!"

"It's just a bird!" Sarah replied, taking the wounded flying-type into her own arms and running it over to the buzzcut boy, or more specifically, towards the medicine pocket in her own bag.

Studying the red pokémon, Shawn quickly managed to identify it. "It's an Oricorio!" he concluded as Mallory approached, lagging a bit behind Sarah. "That's weird though... they're normally found in the Alola region, and nowhere else."

"Alola?" Mallory asked herself aloud, as the name seemed familiar. "Nah, doesn't ring a bell."

"It's really far away from Sinnoh, and Johto, for that matter. How did this little guy get here?" Shawn queried, a pensive look on his face as he grabbed his chin with the tips of his thumb and index fingers. "It's not migration season yet, is it...?"

Reaching into her bag, after laying the wounded pokémon down on the comfort of her own sleeping bag, Sarah found the rest of the potion she had used to heal Aron only a few hours before. "Good thing I came prepared..." she took the opportunity to thank herself for her own motherly, responsible nature.

"You can say that again." Shawn sighed, both thankful for Sarah's cautiousness and for the pokémon not being a ghost-type like he'd envisioned. "I'm drawing a blank as to how this little dude flew all the way here, though..."

"Maybe he's not a wild pokémon at all. Maybe there's someone from Alola around journeying." Mallory suggested, gaining Shawn's nod of agreement.

"It's a definite possibilty... But if so, where's the trainer? They didn't just abandon their pokémon, right? Oricorio's pretty beat up!" he complained, pitying the bird pokémon resting in front of him.

Noticing the elephant in the room he had neglected to mention, Mallory tapped Shawn's shoulder and pointed at the bird, now regaining a bit of strength, struggling against Sarah's tentative healing. "What's the deal with that thing around his neck? It's a flying type, why's it got a steel collar? It's not steel and flying, right?"

"Th-That's not naturally on wild Oricorio..." Shawn explained, a bit confused at his friend's obliviousness. "It was probably put there by... someone. His trainer, maybe?"

"This Oricorio looks wild though..." Sarah chimed in, commenting. "Maybe it was recently caught?"

Shawn, Mallory or Sarah had no time to think about the latter's theory before they were cut off by a loud noise coming from the main path. A vehicle of some sort, and a big one, from the sounds of things. "At this time of night?" Sarah thought aloud.

"It's not that weird, is it?" The boy in the group asked. "It could be a delivery van... goods need to get delivered to marts sometime, right? Oh, or maybe it's a moving t-"

"Whatever it is, I think they stopped." Sarah interrupted. Cautiously, she took large, silent steps, taking quiet breaths as she peeked around and among the trees, trying to see what was going on near the street. Hearing two male voices, the battler flinched and sprinted away towards the sleeping bags.

The voices grew closer. "What about inventory?"

"Forty-seven Baile's, sixteen Pom-Pom's, thirty-one Pa'u's and thirty-five Sensu's." the other male voice responded. "That means only one of them escaped during the trip here."

"Near perfect run then." the deeper of the two voices continued, before trailing off, complaining. "We could've pocketed way more Pom-Pom's if it wasn't for those stupid kahunas or whatever the hell they call themselves." He ended with a snort.

"Eh." the other one replied, almost as if giving a vocal shrug to the whole situation. "This'll net some big bucks though. Quit biting off more than we can chew."

Afterwards, the voices descended into gibberish, being too far away for any of the three to decode. Worried, Shawn gasped and exchanged glances between the Oricorio, Mallory and Sarah. "You guys heard that, right!? They're keeping Oricorio and selling them!"

Sarah tilted her head. "Huh?"

"Oricorio!" Shawn whisper-shouted, careful not to alert the two men that were now at a safe distance from the clearing. "Baile Style, Pom-Pom Style, Sensu Style and Pa'u Style, those are the four forms that wild Oricorio can have!"

"This little guy can change forms?" Mallory suddenly noted, interested in the pokémon. "Neat!" she commented quickly before yawning, setting herself up to go to sleep.

"Mal!" Shawn called, making the gym challenger shoot up, looking at the coordinator in shock. "Those guys are selling Oricorio! And this is probably the only one that got away!" he added, trying to make his friend see his point, but ultimately failing. "Mal, those guys are pokémon poachers!"

"P-Poachers!?" Sarah was quickly alerted as she now understood Shawn's worries, confirming her own. "We have to do something... Let's call the police!"

Considering the options, the buzzcut boy was forced to accept the battler's idea. As Shawn and Sarah stood up, the latter going to fetch her phone, Mallory got up to her hands and knees with a groan, standing up slowly. Ignoring his friend's lack of willpower to save the poor pokémon, Shawn shook his head and looked around. "Okay... um... what-"

"Ok, here's the plan! Mallory, go to the side of the road and wait for anyone to come by. Shawn, you stay here, pack up our things and meet Mallory on the main street, and wait alongside her. I'll call the police and tell them to meet you!" Sarah quickly delegated tasks to everyone, but one thing struck Shawn as odd.

"And you?" Shawn asked.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah turned on her heels and started running. "I'm chasing those two and finding out where they're taking those Oricorio!"

"S-Sarah, no!" Shawn called, chasing her, but lagging behind too much to catch her. "C-Crap... there's no way two people carried all those Oricorio by themselves! She could be getting into some serious trouble!" he worried. "Mal, pack everything and go to the street! I'm going to help Sarah out!"

"WHAT!?" Mallory complained, but was unable to get a response. Sighing, she worried for the well-being of her companions but complied, following her friend's requests.

Giving chase to the battler, an open pokéball in her hand, Shawn shifted his eyes, trying to look for any signs of First running alongside her or a few feet ahead, but was met with nothing but trees and seemingly wild pokémon, a Hoothoot nest being what caught his attention first. As the owl pokémon cooed, the two teenagers followed the seemingly criminal adults through the woods. Hiding behind a thick trunk, Sarah took cover, giving Shawn a few seconds to catch up to her.

Catching his breath, Shawn rested his hands on his knees, back slumped in exhaustion as he panted heavily. "Sarah... are you... out of your mind?" he asked rethorically. "There's no way those guys are working by themselves... you'll be caught if you head in alone!"

"Are you saying I'm weak?" the battler challenged the coordinator, making his eyes widened as Sarah had completely missed the point.

"That's now wha-"

"No, no, I got you." Sarah shook her head, a smirk on her face. "You saw me lose against Kidra that day and... that's why you're thinking I'm a pushover, right?"

"Sarah, it's not like that!" Shawn tried to excuse himself, oblivious to the time he was wasting, letting the poachers escape deeper into the woods. "You're not weak at all... but going in alone here is suicide! There's no way you can overpower all those poachers..."

Taking a deep breath, the girl tightened the knot on her ponytail, grabbing two strands of tied-up hair and pulling them apart. "You're right..." she realized. "But I can't go back now! They should have a hideout around here where they're hiding all the Oricorio!"

"It's not like we'll know now!" Shawn eventually concluded. "They're long gone. They didn't leave any traces behind."

Smirking, Sarah continued. "You think I wouldn't be prepared?" she boasted before adding. "I have a buddy of mine following them. He'll be back soon enough... and point us in the right direction."

A bit thrown off by the fact that her overzealousness had helped once more, Shawn couldn't help but nod silently, his eyebrows furrowed, lips slightly parted in surprise. Sarah threw him a cheeky smile, before reminding herself of how serious their current situation was. "A buddy?" Shawn asked, distracting the battler again.

"Yeah..." she trailed off. "You haven't met him yet, he's... a little hard to handle at times." she explained, before adding lowly, almost as if sharing a secret with Shawn. "He's not into meeting new people."

Shawn's mouth gaped, forming an 'oh' which he mouthed almost quietly. "I see."

Keeping silent and vigilant of any surrounding dangers, Shawn and Sarah awaited the latter's 'buddy', as she called it. The peace and tranquility of the forest broken, a loud buzzing sound approached the two teenagers, coming dangerously close to the coordinator.

The buzzcut boy took a step back, hitting a tree with the back of his shoulder and tripping over a tree root with his heel, falling flat on his butt. The pokémon that produced that sound was staring at him intently, sharp needles pointed in his direction as its beady red eyes stared lifelessly at the fallen boy. The bee-like creature turned to Sarah, his stinger getting a little too close to the battler, giving Shawn a side-view of the pokémon's wings. "S-Sarah, s-s-stay c-c-calm..." the boy stuttered, clearly not calm.

"Found anything, Sting?" she asked, hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. The Beedrill, Sting, nodded and buzzed a bit before pointing in the direction he had just came from. Cocking his head that way, Shawn saw nothing more than trees, as did Sarah, but she knew full well that her hot-headed bug-type wouldn't let her trainer down. "Aaaalrighty, then, time to turn back." Sarah said sternly, an air of leadership around her. Turning to face the way back, she noticed Shawn still on the floor, a bit of nervous sweat starting to moisten his forehead. "Shawn? You okay?"

Eyes shifting between the frightening pokémon and his apparent trainer, Shawn nodded slowly, not wanting to anger the poison-type with any sudden movements. Slowly, he got up and wiped the back of his pants off, slapping away a few bits of stray dirt. "L-Let's go..." he said, reluctant to follow the battler at first.

"Oh, don't worry! He's not _too_ aggressive." Sarah explained, before properly introducing the two. "Shawn, this here is Sting, my Beedrill! I met him back home, during a school trip to Viridian. Sting, this is Shawn, one of my new friends. Stay hi!"

Beedrill kept that same unadultered look on his face, his big red eyes ever unblinking. He then raised his right stinger-like arm in a sort of wave, but quickly let it hang down once again. Introductions over and done with, the coordinator navigated the path back, Sarah and her pokémon beside him.

* * *

"I swear to Arceus I'm never setting up camp ever again!" Mallory complained the moment the teenagers came into view, not bothering to ask for any developments in the makeshift criminal investigation they were conducting. "What's your deal making me put everything back in your bags!? Don't you dare be fussy when it came to my packing!"

Shawn shrugged, knowing his friend's neat 'packing' habits were always a bit lackluster. "Don't worry. I know you well enough to know that whatever you did to our poor items can't even dream of being called 'packing'."

"Shut up!" Mallory puffed her cheeks and turned around, arms crossed. "You owe me one, and that's that!"

A chirp coming from the other side of the road caught the teens' attention, and Sarah and Shawn both looked across the road to find out what was its source. "That's..."

"Pix!" Amber cheered gleefully as she played around with the red bird pokémon, the worries and dangers of the night seemingly forgotten.

"Those two seem to be good friends though." Mallory commented, taking a seat back on the ground, near the edge of the road. "Amber's a social butterfly, huh?"

"Tell me about it." Shawn smiled, noticing his partner's loveable, outgoing demeanor. "Hey, Amber, Oricorio, come over here!"

Although the wild bird pokémon was a bit hesitant to follow orders, the moment he saw the fox pokémon cross the street, he couldn't help but follow her. As the two reached the other side, where the trainers were, Shawn crouched down and petted his friend. "Piiiix..." Amber cried out in bliss.

"How's stuff been, Amber?" Shawn asked, smiling before quickly glancing at Oricorio and back at the fire-type. "Made a new friend?" The Vulpix smiled and nodded, bumping into Oricorio as he spread out his wings. "And you're feeling better, right?" Oricorio chirped in affirmation. Stretching his legs back into a standing position, Shawn clapped his hands together and smiled. "I'm glad... your friends are gonna be fine too, buddy, don't worry! We're doing what we can." Oricorio nodded with an imposing posture, almost as if he trusted our efforts

A few minutes passed before a few motorcycle headlights cut through the dim lighting of the moonlit woods, finding the three waving teenagers with ease. The woman who led the pack had a typical police uniform, complete with an officer cap with a golden emblem and shiny black boots. Her face was oddly familiar to me, maybe because this woman was easily identifiable as one of the Jenny's - the worldwide leading family in police enforcement.

"Excuse me, youngsters!" she called, her voice stern but feminine at the same time. "Was it you who called for the police tonight?"

"Yes!" Sarah was quick to answer, approaching Officer Jenny with a quick few steps, startling the woman a bit. "We saw a pair of suspicious men walking deep into the forest... they were speaking about doing inventory, and they mentioned Oricorio." she finished, gesturing to the red flying-type perched on the ground, next to the Vulpix.

"Oricorio? A rare pokémon to find here... I see where this is going" The officer nodded and turned to her team, composed of about five or six other members of the police force, and ordered them to back her up. As she turned around, the three teenagers could see a pair of pokéballs on her belt. "Thank you for the lead, young lady. Is there any other way you can tell us where these men went?" she asked.

Sarah confirmed it, but Shawn was the one to reply. "Yes, officer. We chased them for a while, and Sarah here sent out her Beedrill to localize them more easily."

"Yes!" Sarah nodded, as she threw Beedrill back into the field. "Sting, can you lead us back into the forest? We need to get back to where you found those two men!"

The bug-type buzzed and ascended into the air, before speeding off into the woods. "Follow him!" The officer ordered. "You three please stay here and tend to the rest of this Oricorio's wounds! Thank you for your cooperation!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Shawn and Sarah responded in unison, the former saluting as the blue-clad officers ran deeper into the trees. Looking around him, Shawn had no choice but to let himself fall to the ground, exhausted from the adrenaline rush he'd suddenly felt during the past few minutes, bordering on a full hour. "Sheesh... I hope those Oricorio are fine..."

The Baile-style pokémon clapped his wings together at his side and chirped valiantly, his chest puffed out with air, giving a proud air to him. "Hehe." Mallory laughed lowly. "Aren't you a cutie?" she smiled as she poked the flying-type's beak and wings, the red pokémon enjoying the attention, leaving Sarah to pull Shawn a few feet away from the three.

"What?" he asked.

Sarah leaned closer to the boy's ear and whispered, eyes focused on Amber, Mallory and Oricorio. "That Oricorio would make for great help during contests, don't you think?" she suggested, making Shawn's eyes widen.

"What, do you think I should catch it?" he asked rethorically, already understanding that was exactly what Sarah had insinuated. Pondering over her idea, Shawn shook cracked his joints and scratched his forehead, thoughtful. "I was thinking of having my debut with Amber... she's my partner after all..."

Rolling her eyes, the battler insisted. "You don't have to use him right away. Besides, he'll be a good addition to your team! And my girl's intuition tells me he'd be more than willing to go for the ride... huh? Huuuuh?" she edged, making the coordinator look at her, brows furrowed.

"You sure _you_ don't want to catch it?" he asked, a bit of a mocking smirk on his face. "You sure seem excited to have him around."

"God, you're dense..." Sarah muttered under her breath, making Shawn flinch a bit, confused at her choice of words. Repeating the word in his mind while searching for any moments where he'd been, in fact, dense. Lost in his thought, he didn't notice Sarah leave his side. "Hey, Oricorio."

Turning from the Vulpix and the girl petting him, Oricorio cocked his head in Sarah's direction and followed him a few steps away, as did Shawn before him. Occasionally looking back at the girl and pokémon he'd left behind, the flying-type started to have a would-be conversation with the battler, both of them seemingly having quite a bit of fun.

Noticing something was amiss, Amber and Mallory woke Shawn up from his thoughts, who was initially confused as to how or when Sarah had swapped places with his other companions. "H-Huh?"

"Pix!" Amber cried out, rubbing her snout on the boy's ankle, and then pointing it in Sarah's direction.

"What's up with those two?" Mallory asked, thumbing their way. "Is Sarah trying to become a pokémon whisperer, now?"

Shawn rolled his eyes and laughed. "I don't know. She asked me if I wanted to catch Oricorio... he'd be a good asset in contests and such. I get where she's coming from, there's lots of potential to be explored with those four different forms but, she seemed really intent on bringing him along for some reason!" he exclaimed, low enough for the battler not to hear. "It just caught me off guard, is all... I might think ab-"

A loud noise interrupted Shawn's sentence, and a round of screams came from himself, as well as Mallory and Amber, who were startled by the blur that had just flown in the boy's direction. Scared, the coordinator curled himself up, covering the fire-type fox pokémon with his body as Mallory simply looked around, looking back at Sarah and Oricorio. "S-Something's not right."

Curious as to what Mallory found weird, Shawn looked in their direction. "Where did..." he voiced, a bit confused as the flying-type was nowhere to be found, only a smirking Sarah where they both stood. "Sarah?"

"Officer!" the battler called, making everyone turn around and face the crew that was coming back from the woods, Sting flying above them, guiding them back to the street. As much as Sarah had a gleeful expression on her face, waiting to see a hoard of Oricorio flying about the police officers, her face quickly paled as she noticed the angry expression on the officer's face.

Knuckles on her hips, the blue haired officer Jenny eyed the three youngsters with disdain and suspicion. "The two men this Beedrill led us two had no such pokémon in their possession. They also didn't show any signs of being pokémon poachers, or any suspicious behavior at all." she began, making the teenagers look between themselves. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"I... We really saw them, though..." Shawn mumbled.

"Yeah!" Mallory insisted enthusiastically, nearing the officers. "We totally saw them! And they were talking about Oricorio forms, and how they had loads of them in their inventory! You have to believe us, officer Jenny, we're telling the truth!"

"How would two men be carrying that many Oricorio, then?" Casting a suspicious look on the trio, the blue-haired lady sighed. "I'll have to take you in for questioning back at the station. Falsely accusing someone of poaching, and calling the police for unnecessary reasons, are both crimes. Not big crimes, mind you, but crimes nonetheless. Please, accompany us."

There were a few moments of fright and confusion. "H-Huh?" Shawn's eyes widened. Reluctantly, he grabbed his bags and followed the officers, his heart racing. "W-We're not in any trouble, are we?" The officer remained silent, and the coordinator swallowed, scared into silence for the rest of the night.

"At least we're getting a ride to Mahogany, right?" Mallory tried to ease the situation, but seeing Shawn's shakiness made her keep quiet for the remainder of the trip there, only the loud roar of the motorcycles cutting through the silent night.

Where did that Oricorio go? Where did the poachers go? And what about the other Oricorio they poached...?

"Excuse me?" a deep voice was muffled by the engines, and a white-haired boy was left waving at the backlights of the motorcycles as they drove towards Mahogany. "Bother..." he cursed, the grip around the small device in his hand a bit tighter. Strengthening his resolve to save the three teenagers, he broke into a run, his bag bumping against his back as he ran.

* * *

 **~ CHAPTER 5: END ~**

* * *

 **New Characters:**

 _ **White-haired boy** , submitted by Illusionary Phantom_

 _ **Oricorio  
Sarah's Beedrill (Sting)**_


End file.
